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Human Rights Ordinance

Joe Henderson: Kevin Beckner made a difference, which should never be forgotten

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

All politicians start out by saying how they want to make a difference. Well, Kevin Beckner did. His now-former colleagues at the Hillsborough County Commission acknowledged that Wednesday during his final meeting as a member of the board. He is leaving because of term limits after serving eight years. Yes, Beckner was the first openly gay man to serve on the commission, which by itself was highly significant given that just a decade ago Hillsborough banned any recognition of gay…

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#13 on list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians — Kevin Beckner

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

The Hillsborough County commissioner is halfway through his second and final term on the BOCC, and some political analysts are already pondering where he’ll attempt to land next in his political future. There were rumors a few years ago that he would run for chief financial officer in 2014, but his decision not to go for it was probably a wise one during that decisively Republican midterm cycle. 2014 was also a banner year for Hillsborough County when it came to joining…

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Kathleen Ford says, if elected, she will make all public bathrooms unisex facilities

in The Bay and the 'Burg by

In addition to saying the City Council was wrong to exclude transgender individuals when the human rights ordinance was changed to protect gays and lesbians, Kathleen Ford said “all public bathrooms should be unisex, private-stall bathrooms to accommodate everyone” according to an article in which the mayoral candidates outline where they stand on gay rights issues. As I do whenever I discuss gay rights issues, let me qualify everything I write by reiterating my belief that gay rights is a…

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Equality Florida says St. Pete’s next Mayor will be either Bill Foster or Scott Wagman

in Peter/The Bay and the 'Burg by

Sorry Kathleen Ford, you may be leading in the polls, with most political insiders predicting Ford is all but guaranteed a place in the General Election, but Equality Florida’s Nadine Smith says St. Pete’s next Mayor will be either Bill Foster or Scott Wagman. In a post on the Equality Florida blog, the normally intelligent Smith seems to forget about the front-running Ford, painting the mayoral campaign in rather stark terms: “The city’s next mayor will either be Scott Wagman…

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