Thursday, July 16
5:00-7:00 p.m.

Nadine will share some exciting updates on our recent work throughout the state - work that you are making possible. We hope you can drop by!

Please RSVP by emailing Tobias at tobias@eqfl.org to help us plan.

Please bring a guest - our mixers are a wonderful opportunity to introduce new friends to Equality Florida's important work.

This Mixer is a special event to say THANK YOU to our strongest supporters and to give you the very latest on Equality Florida's work.  

Join Us for the 2nd Annual Equality Florida Bar Crawl
Part of Summer Fest '09!

AUGUST 2, 8PM

The crawl will take place at Palace, Halo, Score, and TWIST simultaneously from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. Participants will recieve three tickets per venue for their free Belvedere cocktails or Bud Lights.

That’s potentially 12 cocktails for only $25!

The evening will also include an opening performance at Palace and a closing performance at TWIST by the drag divas of Queen Cabaret, so you know it will begin with a bang and end with an explosion! There will also be various local celebrity hosts making appearances throughout the evening.

Tickets are on sale now for $25. 100 percent of the proceeds benefit Equality Florida. 

Click here to purchase tickets today.

Even if you can only make it for a portion of the Crawl, be sure to join us. Here's where we'll be:

About Summer Fest '09

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Equality Florida, and all of Miami Beach's seven-day-a-week gay bars will come together to create the hottest event of the summer. Summer Fest '09 will include four main events, taking place at six very unique venues, including Score, Palace, Halo, TWIST, Hotel Victor, and Table 8.

Visit http://www.summerfestmiami.com for more information.

Let's show them the real meaning of Free Speech.

Join us for TONIGHT a Red Flag Rally to DEMAND a public apology from NBC's affiliate WFLA Ch 8 for screening a dangerous and dehumanizing anti-gay infomercial - Speechless: Silencing Christians.

What are we demanding?

1. Issue an apology. While they can't undo the damage already done, WFLA must screen a show to combat the lies, such as the film "For the Bible Tells Me So."
2. Provide balance by airing a program that counters the lies and hateful vitriolic message they profited from airing.

Media General, which owns WFLA, must hear from the community.  They must understand that they were wrong to air and profit from hateful and vitriolic anti-gay propaganda.

WFLA management said they understand the show would be offensive to those who "chose the homosexual lifestyle," but "not red flags" went up for them when they viewed it prior to airing. 

They may have not seen the red flags before, but let's make sure they see them tonight.

Where to Park

Outraged?!

Show Up TONIGHT at 5PM.
 200 S Parker St, Tampa
Click here for directions
 
WFLA says this hateful infomercial didn't "raise any red flags."  Let's raise red flags they can't miss this time. 

Wear a Red T-shirt.
Bring a Red Flag.

Help us fight these lies-
we can't do it without YOU!

Click here to see the
Homophobic Propaganda Show

Metered Parking: 1 Block From WFLA
Enter From W. Kennedy Blvd:
To South Parker Street Aprox 10-12 Spaces (One Way North to South)
Right From South Parker Street Onto West Keller Ave Aprox 10-12 Spaces Per Street (One Way East to West)
(Approx 25 Total Metered Parking Spaces)
 
Free Parking 2 to 3 Blocks From WFLA:
From W Kennedy Blvd turn onto South Hyde Park Ave. (One Way North to South)
First Cross Street is W. Grand Central Ave Has free on Street Parking Spacing (Two Hour Limit From 8 AM to 5 PM Only)
 
If You Absolutely Can't Show Up, Call 

Call Media General - both the local division and the national HQ. Tell them you to stop harming our community by profiting from anti-gay propaganda. When anti-gay rhetoric is amplified on public airwaves, anti-gay harassment and hate crimes dramatically increases.

Media General - Tampa:

• Michael Pumo, (813) 228-8888, mpumo@wfla.com. President & General Manager
• Robyn Spoto, rspoto@tbo.com, 813-314-5403, Marketing Director

Media General  - National:

• Media General Media Contact Ray Kozakewicz (804) 649-6748
• Media General's President is Marshall Morton: (804) 649-6000 (main number)

EQUALITY FLORIDA ACTION PAC

Supporting Trailblazers and Champions

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Each of the candidates below has a strong commitment to full equality, but they need your help to ensure they win their elections. Vote-by-Mail ballots are going out this week and it's imperative that voters know where these candidates stand.

Give Us Two Hours and We'll Make History Together

Sign up today to phone bank voters and urge them to cast their ballots right away for pro-Equality champions. Together, we'll call thousands of Vote-by-Mail voters who will likely decide the outcome of these elections.

Openly gay city council candidate Steve Kornell is leading the pack with more money and more endorsements than his opponents. If elected, he would be the first openly gay city council member ever in St. Petersburg.

Click here to to join us to phone bank for these pro-equality candidates.  All you need is a computer and a phone. We'll supply the phone numbers, script, and training necessary for you to be successful.

St. Petersburg Mayor Endorsement
	Scott Wagman	View Website
	Scott Wagman is running a great campaign in a tough race for St. Petersburg Mayor. He has received a 100% on our candidate questionnaire and will be a strong advocate for the LGBT community if elected.
St. Petersburg City Council Endorsements
	Steve Kornell		View Website
	District 5
	Steve Kornell is running a strong campaign and if elected will be the first openly LGBT person on the St. Petersburg City Council. He received a 100% on our candidate questionnaire. Steve Kornell is leading the pack with more money and more endorsements than his opponents. If elected, he would be the first openly gay city council member ever in St. Petersburg.
	Karl Nurse		View Website
	District 6
	Karl Nurse is running to keep his seat on the St. Petersburg City Council. He received a 100% on our candidate questionnaire.

Paid Political Advertisement,
Paid for in-kind by Equality Florida Action PAC.
Approved by Scott Wagman, Steve Kornell, and Karl Nurse

Special Election on August 4th!

On Tuesday, August 4 there will be a special election for YOUR state senate seat and your vote could make the difference.  Earlier this year state Senator Ken Pruitt resigned from his senate seat and in less than 22 days you will decide who fills the seat.

Compare the candidates and make sure you vote on August 4th!

• St Lucie County Vote By mail on-line request form - Call (772) 462-1500 with any questions or to make your request over the phone.
• Martin County Vote By mail on-line request form - Call (772) 288-5637 with any questions or to make your request over the phone.
• Palm Beach County Vote By mail on-line request form - Call (561) 656-6200 with any questions or to make your request over the phone.
• Indian River County Vote By mail on-line request form - Call (772) 226-3440 with any questions or to make your request over the phone.
• Okeechobee County Vote By mail on-line request form - Call (863) 763-4014 with any questions or to make your request over the phone.

Join us for a Red Flag Rally to DEMAND a public apology from NBC's affiliate WFLA Ch 8 for screening a dangerous and dehumanizing anti-gay infomercial - Speechless: Silencing Christians.

Media General, which owns WFLA, must hear from the community.  They must understand that they were wrong to air and profit from hateful and vitriolic anti-gay propaganda.

WFLA decides every day what it will air and what content it rejects as unacceptable programming. When they air something inaccurate, damaging and defamatory we must hold them accountable. 

Let's show them the real meaning of Free Speech.

This was not a vigorous exchange of differing viewpoints in a vast marketplace of ideas.  This was a one-sided hate rant on the public airwaves auctioned off to the highest bidder by a struggling corporation willing to throw out ethics for profit.

WFLA management said they understand the show would be offensive to those who "chose the homosexual lifestyle," but "not red flags" went up for them when they viewed it prior to airing. 

They may have not seen the red flags before, but let's make sure they see them on Wednesday.

Outraged?!

Show Up Wednesday, 5PM.
 200 S Parker St, Tampa
Click here for directions
 
WFLA says this hateful infomercial didn't "raise any red flags."  Let's raise red flags they can't miss this time. 

Wear a Red T-shirt. Bring a Red Flag.

Help us fight these lies-
we can't do it without YOU!

Click here to see the
Homophobic Propaganda Show

Responsible stations across the country have declined to air this dangerous homophobic propaganda, but not WFLA, sister company to the Tampa Tribune and TBO.com.

Instead Media General/WFLA chose to make a reported $35,000 dollars from a commercial that attacks gay people and our families with lies, junk science and discredited "reprogramming centers."

Join Us this Wednesday, 5PM for a Peaceful Demonstration outside WFLA's headquarters.

1. Issue an apology. While they can't undo the damage already done, WFLA must screen a show to combat the lies, such as the film "For the Bible Tells Me So."
2. Provide balance by airing a program that counters the lies and hateful vitriolic message they profited from airing.

A Special Evening of Theater...

...at Discounted Prices for Equality Florida Members!

Dear %pa_first_name%,

Equality Florida is proud to partner this month with StageWorks, one of Tampa Bay's most distinguished theater companies, in presenting The Little Dog Laughed, the Tony-nominated play by Douglas Carter Beane.

Because of our partnership, Equality Florida supporters can buy tickets at a group discount rate of just $22.83, including service charge. Just call the StageWorks office at 813-251-8984 and tell them you're a member of Equality Florida. (This discount is not available online or through the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center box office.)

The Little Dog Laughed is a love story ... A funny, fast-paced exposé of homophobic Hollywood celebrity ... And, poignantly, a drama that shows the human cost of the closet, where good people cannot be truly themselves.

"Devastatingly funny... with irresistible wit," said the New York Times.

Show times are 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 4 p.m. Sundays, July 9 through 26, at the Shimberg Playhouse, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in downtown Tampa.

For more information about The Little Dog Laughed and StageWorks click here.

See you at the theater!

EQFL Staff

REGISTER for the WFLA Online Town Hall, Thurs. 6:30PM

Help Decide Next Steps

Also, join in the discussion on our blog.

Thousands of our supporters have contacted the station condemn the airing of the program "Silencing the Christians." Now it's time to help us decide our next steps.

This has become a statewide and nationwide issue as anti-gay extremists shop this hateful infomercial around. Many have rejected the program as blatantly and dangerously bigoted. Others, including Tampa's NBC affiliate have cashed the $35,000 check without a concern for the harm inflicted on the gay community. The St. Petersburg Times took WFLA to task in a strong column.

Come to the Island
TOMORROW, July 8th, 6:30-8:30 p.m. 
at Aqua Allison Island, Miami Beach

Only one day left - RSVP Required

Join us in honoring Sen. Dan Gelber.
Winner of our 2009 Voice for Equality Award.

Sen. Gelber has been a trailblazer in Tallahassee as an outspoken champion for LGBT students and families.  Please join us in honoring him. 

 Our Executive Director, Nadine Smith, will also give a State of the State Address.

Our Summer Reception is a Special Event for our Florida Council members and guests interested in joining our Leadership Circle.  Your evening includes cocktails, scrumptious hors d'oeuvres, a State of the State Address, and an Island Tour.

Although there is no minimum donation for this event, there will be an invitation to join our leadership circle, the Florida Council. Space is limited and your RSVP is required for entrance to the island.  

RSVP today!

Your Island Tour will include visits to several beautiful private homes and a stroll through the Island's amazing public art.

Your Island Resident Host Committee:

Steven Kozlowski & Arron Rimpley, Ernesto Mendoza, J. C. Padial & David Sharpe, and Richard G. Toledo

Your Island Summer Host Committee:
  
Thomas Barker, David Bloom & Damian McNamara, Cindy Brown & Michelle Simons, Jerry Chasen & Mark Kirby, David da Silva Cornell, Larry Hyer, John Labus, Simone Mayer & Mayda Perez, Damian Pardo, David Price & Juan Carlos Rodriguez, John Ratliff & Ted Guilfoy, Wendy Reiner, Elizabeth Schwartz, Daniel Spring & Jean Marc De Silva, Bill Warren, Rosemary Wilder, and Judge David Young

For more information, contact David Costa at 813-870-3735 or david@eqfl.org

Swastikas spray painted on a synagogue in Parkland, "Osama binleden" on a mosque in Sunrise, "faggot" on homes and cars in Wilton Manors. And of course the brutal murder of Simmie Wiliams.

These a few of the attacks that give Broward  County the highest rate of hate crime in the state of Florida.

Law enforcement officials acknowledge that hate crimes -especially those targeting the LGBT community are dramatically under-reported, with many victims reluctant to go to the police, and some police agencies not fully trained in recognizing or investigating hate crimes.

Equality Florida is proud to be part of a coalition effort to address Hate Violence in our community. Come to a town hall meeting immediately following the regularly scheduled Dolphin Democrats July meeting at the Gay & Lesbian Community Center, sponsored by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, GLCC, Anti-Defamation League, NAACP, Equality Florida, and OUT. Featured speakers include Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti and Florida House Representative Ari Porth.

Join Us For a Town Hall Meeting on Hate Crimes 
Wednesday, July 8th
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm

At the Gay & Lesbian Community Center
1717 North Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 

Swastikas spray painted on a synagogue in Parkland, "Osama binleden" on a mosque in Sunrise, "faggot" on homes and cars in Wilton Manors. And of course the brutal murder of Simmie Wiliams.

These a few of the attacks that give Broward  County the highest rate of hate crime in the state of Florida.

Law enforcement officials acknowledge that hate crimes -especially those targeting the LGBT community are dramatically under-reported, with many victims reluctant to go to the police, and some police agencies not fully trained in recognizing or investigating hate crimes.

Equality Florida is proud to be part of a coalition effort to address Hate Violence in our community. Come to a town hall meeting immediately following the regularly scheduled Dolphin Democrats July meeting at the Gay & Lesbian Community Center, sponsored by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, GLCC, Anti-Defamation League, NAACP, Equality Florida, and OUT. Featured speakers include Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti and Florida House Representative Ari Porth.

Join Us For a Town Hall Meeting on Hate Crimes 
Wednesday, July 8th
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm

At the Gay & Lesbian Community Center
1717 North Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 

WFLA Homophobic TV Program: Help Decide the Next Steps

Protest at the studio? Reach out to advertisers? Boycott?

How Should We Hold WFLA Accountable for Homophobic Programming?

Help Decide Next Steps

Take Our Survey and Tell Us What You Think

We could not disagree more.

Equality Florida would vigorously defend the American Family Association's (AFA) RIGHT to say what they want. Only government can take rights away, and we would strongly oppose, let alone advocate for government limiting AFA's ability to speak.

The First Amendment does not, however, require a television station to air absolutely anything if someone is willing to pay for it. Every broadcast company in the nation has standards for content and they vet that content all the time.

If an advertiser pulls their funding from a show because of the content, are they censoring that show and denying someone their freedom of speech? Of course not. They are simply making a business decision to not associate with the content of that show. Likewise, WFLA, a business, constantly makes decisions about what content it will and wont allow on its network.

As the St. Petersburg Times recently editorialized, in part:

"...The film criticizes efforts to allow gay people to serve in the military, to teach school children that homosexuality is acceptable and to pass laws preventing employers from discriminating against gay people.

If you were to substitute the words black or Hispanic for the word gay in the film, it's a safe bet that someone at WFLA would have raised a red flag, to use Pumo's words.

Could anyone, for example, imagine WFLA airing a documentary decrying "propaganda techniques to manipulate people into accepting the interracial lifestyle?" (replace the word "interracial" with "homosexual" and you have an actual line from Silencing Christians)."

That's our position. What do you think? Take our survey. 

Come to the Island
Next Wednesday, July 8th, 6:30-8:30 p.m. 
at Aqua Allison Island, Miami Beach

Only a few days left - RSVP Required

Join us in honoring Sen. Dan Gelber.
Winner of our 2009 Voice for Equality Award.

Sen. Gelber has been a trailblazer in Tallahassee as an outspoken champion for LGBT students and families.  Please join us in honoring him. 

 Our Executive Director, Nadine Smith, will also give a State of the State Address.

Our Summer Reception is a Special Event for our Florida Council members and guests interested in joining our Leadership Circle.  Your evening includes cocktails, scrumptious hors d'oeuvres, a State of the State Address, and an Island Tour.

Although there is no minimum donation for this event, there will be an invitation to join our leadership circle, the Florida Council. Space is limited and your RSVP is required for entrance to the island.  

RSVP today!

Your Island Tour will include visits to several beautiful private homes and a stroll through the Island's amazing public art.

Your Island Resident Host Committee:

Steven Kozlowski & Arron Rimpley, Ernesto Mendoza, J. C. Padial & David Sharpe, and Richard G. Toledo

Your Island Summer Host Committee:
  
Thomas Barker, David Bloom & Damian McNamara, Cindy Brown & Michelle Simons, Jerry Chasen & Mark Kirby, David da Silva Cornell, Larry Hyer, John Labus, Simone Mayer & Mayda Perez, Damian Pardo, David Price & Juan Carlos Rodriguez, John Ratliff & Ted Guilfoy, Wendy Reiner, Elizabeth Schwartz, Daniel Spring & Jean Marc De Silva, Bill Warren, Rosemary Wilder, and Judge David Young

For more information, contact David Costa at 813-870-3735 or david@eqfl.org

This past Saturday, as tens-of-thousands of Tampa Bay residents celebrated at St. Pete Pride, Tampa's NBC Ch. 8, WFLA, screened the ugly and dangerous anti-gay infomercial -Silencing Christians.

Help us DEMAND a public apology from NBC 8, WFLA and STOP this bigoted program from running elsewhere in Florida!

The moment we heard about the show, Equality Florida jumped into action and you responded.  In just two hours, EQFL members in Tampa Bay

• Sent 1,000 email letters to WFLA
• Made hundreds of phone calls

After talking with Equality Florida, WFLA held an emergency meeting of top executives to review this program.  Their decision: General Manager, Mike Pumo, said there were "no red flags" regarding the show's content and proceeded to air it.

Click here to send a letter demanding an apology.

Responsible stations across the country have refused to air this dangerous homophobic propaganda, but not WFLA, sister company to the Tampa Tribune and TBO.com.

Instead, WFLA NBC 8 chose to make $35,000 dollas off the demonization and dehumanization of LGBT people in Tampa Bay.

Don't let these homophobic lies go unchallenged!

With your donation, we'll launch a multi-pronged strategy to:

1. Demand WFLA issue a public apology for airing this dangerous infomercial.
2. Train 100 grassroots leaders from every corner of Florida on how to organize when these attacks happen locally (Equality Campaign Training is July 11-12)
3. Urge WFLA's advertisers to punish the station for running this awful program
4. Challenge this show anytime it's scheduled to air in any Florida market.

 Click here to see the
Homophobic Propaganda Show

Outraged?!

Help us fight these lies-we can't do it without YOU!

Please give just

Thank you for making all of our work possible- with your support we'll fight back whenever homophobia strikes in Florida.