US: Florida Democrats hope to push forward with LGBT rights bills in 2014

Dec 30 2013
Written by Joseph McCormick

Democrats in the US state of Florida have expressed an interest in pushing forward with bills to extend civil rights to LGBT people in 2014.

Several bills are to be pushed forward by the Democrats in the state, which aim to extend employment and benefit protections to gay and transgender people and to create a domestic partnership registry.

Some six bills hope to extend equal protections, but also go further to protect nonresident immigrant children, those with criminal convictions and pregnant women, from being discriminated against.

Reports suggest that Democrats hope to use the 50th anniversary of the federal Civil Rights Act to unblock the issues which have not made headway in recent months.

A Florida Senate committee in April approved the state’s first bill to allow domestic partner registration, including specific rights for same-sex couples.

Senator Eleanor Sobel of Hollywood, said that the committee had “made history” by passing the bill, despite equal rights advocates conceding that the bill had little chance of passing this year.

Two LGBT rights groups in the US state of Florida in June launched a joint effort to begin to reverse the state’s ban on equal marriage.

Equality Florida and Freedom To Marry, launched the Get Engaged campaign, which aims to secure equal marriage for same-sex couples in the state.