Homophobia in St. Johns County, Florida Is an Embarrassment to St. Augustine and All County Residents

Today is the 16th anniversary of the murder of Matthew Shepard, a Gay student at the University of Wyoming. Our rebarbative all-Republican St. Johns County Commissioners still refuse to adopt the most modest GLBT rights protections, even though our Anastasia Mosquito Control District of St. Johns County, Sheriff and cities of St. Augustine and St.Augustine Beach have done so. Why?

IN 2010, our estimable St Johns Commissioners had the chance to add sexual orientation to Section 10.06 (Nondiscrimination) of their charter. I asked them to do it. Not even a motion. Other directed pachyderms with no class and no respect for human rights, i reckon.

One of them -- Thomas G. Manuel -- has rightly apologized for it. Thank you.

Twice we defeated their exclusionary, bigoted, heterosexist and homophobic charter, which left out Gays. We'd do it again.

Our St. johns County Tourist Development Council and Visitor and no-bid contractor, Convention and Visitor Bureau, won't produce a list of GLBT-friendly establishments.

Stop. Discriminating. Now. Or there could be a national boycott for our 450th, as Dr. King advocated for our 400th.


(Third from left is innocent bystander -- the rest of them are guilty of deep insensitivity, if not actual bigotry).