Orange County Republicans support LGBT non-discrimination bill

Orange County mayor Teresa Jacobs, along with nearly two dozen Central Florida Republican leaders, signed a resolution pledging support for statewide legislation to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity July 28, according to The Orlando Political Observer.

The resolution was presented at the Orange County Republican Executive Committee Lincoln Day Dinner by Jacobs.

“These are what I like to think are the new generation of Republicans,” said Jacobs. “What we grieved over a few weeks ago wasn’t a loss of gay people or Hispanic people, it was a loss of human beings. Human beings regardless of where they come from or who they love, had dreams and aspirations just like you and I.”

Jacobs spoke with 49 roses at the front of her podium, one rose meant to honor each life lost at the Pulse shooting June 12.

Orange County and the city of Orlando already offer protections for members of the LGBT community, as do nearly a dozen other counties and more than 30 cities and town; however, Florida at the state level does not.

The Florida Competitive Workforce Act, which has been introduced in the Florida House in some form since 2007, has died in committee each time. The Competitive Workforce Act seeks to protect LGBT people against discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.

The Republican officials who signed the effectively non-binding pledge are:

Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs

Congressman John Mica

Orange County Commissioner Scott Boyd

Orange County Commissioner Pete Clarke

Orange County Commissioner Ted Edwards

Orange County Commissioner Bryan Nelson

Orange County Republican Executive Committee Chairman Lew Oliver

State Representative Mike Miller

State Representative Rene Plasencia

Orange County School Board Chairman Bill Sublette

Orange County School Board member Christine Moore

Orlando Commissioner Jim Gray

Orlando Commissioner Tony Ortiz

Windermere Mayor Gary Bruhn

Winter Park Mayor Steve Leary

Maitland Mayor Dale McDonald

Edgewood Mayor Ray Bagshaw

Belle Isle Mayor Lydia Pisano

Oakland Mayor Kathy Stark

Edgewood City Council President John Dowless

Editor’s note: There’s much more to the story, we suspect, given some of the names and their associated positions (and positioning) riding up and down this list, but a good start is a good start, especially when you consider that there are many federal Republicans actively trying to roll back something as benign as marriage equality in coming years. More reporting to follow.

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