Rhonda Storms Homophobic Policies Still Haunt Hillsborough Gays

Rhonda Storms Homophobic Policies Still Haunt Hillsborough Gays Hillsborough BOCC Refuse to Rescind 2004 Anti-Domestic Partners Policy
By Zeke Fread
January 23, 2008

Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners, (BOCC), first openly gay Commissioner Kevin Beckner, proposed rescinding an April 7, 2004 county policy, "which forbids any County Commissioners and/or staff of expending any efforts", such as research, cost or feasibility, of providing domestic partners benefits to county employee's unmarried domestic partners. I was one of a group who attended and addressed the members of the BOCC, expressing our strong support for rescinding this biased and antiquated policy. Commissioner Beckner gave a detailed outstanding, and impassioned presentation, which fell on the deaf ears of ignorance. Beckner's motion was seconded by Commissioner Rose Ferlita. However his proposal failed by a 5-2 vote. Beckner and Ferlita accounted for the only two votes favoring rescinding the county policy. Commissioners Al Higginbotham, Jim Norman, Ken Hagan, Kevin White, and Mark Sharpe voted to retain the policy. Which left the anti-inclusive domestic partners policy for both gay and heterosexual employees unmarried partners alive and well.

The 2004 policy proposed by ex-county commissioner, now Florida Senator, Rhonda Storms, in response to the City of Tampa approving extending benefits to domestic partners of employees, and the County had received similar requests. This was just Storms first shot fired in her personal anti-gay righter religious agenda. However, she was far from done furthering her desire to deny GLBT equal benefits, promote intolerance, and to make our lives as miserable as she could. Her second and third shots were fired a year later in 2005 and heard around the country. Storms succeeded in adopting two more anti-gay policies, the first being to “abstain from acknowledging, promoting, or participating” in any gay pride recognition or events, which included banning gay book displays in our public libraries. Immediately followed was her third and most devastating shot, a proposal that commissioners can only repeal the first policy by a 5–2 super-majority vote, both shots hit their mark. Even with GLBT allies, Jan Platt, Kathy Castor and Pat Frank efforts to deflect her shots and wrench the gun from her hand with substitute motions, they failed, and both Storms discriminatory policies passed.

Tragically, still today the majority of our County Commissioners remain stead fast in refusing to move forward toward tolerance and acceptance of the diversity of it's citizens. As a smoke screen to avoid of addressing the proposal up for vote, which was to rescind a 2004 policy, to allow any commissioner to investigate the feasibility of providing benefits. However, the vote was not on offering these benefits now or anytime in the near future. So, commissioners resorted to arguing "it's the economy stupid", and it's "irresponsible to look at spending money now". Which were ploys to hide their true personal beliefs or bias, for when they vote to retain the policy.

Instead, they prefer to isolate us from the people, investors, Fortune 500 companies and others businesses around the country who embrace inclusiveness and refuse to live in an environment of intolerance, discriminatory polices and hostility. These are the same people and businesses we so desperately need to relocate to the county to help boast our extremely tenable economy. They're not the protectors of equal benefits, protections and rights of all tax paying citizens, their employees and families. But choose to represent only a certain group of residents, who share their personal or religious beliefs, while other citizens who don't suffer, as does our economy. If this is allowed to continue, I fear our County will be forced to either find a way to raise taxes to the point some residents will lose their homes, valuable services cut even further, hundreds of employee's will lose their jobs or the county will simply be forced to go bankrupt.

Although no surprise, yet any less infuriating was Commissioner Jim Norman's proud declaration he's a staunch conservative, believes marriage is between man and woman, and health benefits should be exclusive to heterosexual couples with marriage licenses only. Devaluing heterosexual unmarried couples relationships and their families to the same second class citizenship as gay citizens and their families are forced to endure. Norman has never hidden his distain for gay citizens or his homophobic beliefs. He, as did Storms, publicly declared their religious beliefs dictates their policy decision making. Where's the outrage form our community as a whole over this? Perhaps only when they become the targets of these elected religious zealots and their denied or stripped of their equal benefits, protections and rights, will we hear a peep from them.

Once they suffer the same second class citizenship status, intolerance and discriminatory polices bestowed on GLBT law abiding tax paying citizens for all decades. Will they come to see, they choose to remains silent and allowed this to happen to us and now them. If only they spoke our sooner, we have could have put a stop this this atrocity committed on Hillsborough citizens and this blatant abuse of elected power.

In Peace, Pride & Equality
Zeke