Dolphin Democrats

Politics in the LGBT Community

Press Releases

Equality Act Passes in U.S. House of Representative

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This critically important legislation would expand federal protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as create greater consistency in anti-discrimination laws across the nation.

WILTON MANORS, FL – FEBRUARY 26, 2021 – The Dolphin Democrats, Florida’s oldest LGBTQ+ political organization, celebrates the momentous news that the Equality Act has passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday with a vote of 224-206.

“The Equality Act is bringing us closer to ensuring everyone is treated equally under the law with the respect and dignity they deserve,” said Alfredo Olvera, President of The Dolphin Democrats. “We are grateful for Speaker Pelosi, Congressman Cicilline and our Broward County Congressional delegation for supporting and advancing this legislation on behalf of all Americans.”

While the vast majority of Americans support legislation protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people against discrimination in jobs, public accommodations, and housing, and hundreds of organizations including the Dolphin Democrats have proudly voiced their support for the Equality Act, only three Republicans in Congress voted in support of the Act on Thursday. With the election of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the American people have unequivocally proclaimed that intolerance and inequality have no place in this nation – the U.S. Senate must move to decisively and swiftly ensure the Equality Act heads to President Biden’s desk.

“The Equality Act provides long overdue federal civil rights protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, locking in critical safeguards in our housing, education, public services, and lending systems — and codifying the courage and resilience of the LGBTQ+ movement into enduring law,” President Biden said last week. The President pledged to make enactment of the Equality Act a top legislative priority of his administration during his first 100 days.

Equality is fundamental to a healthy society and a vibrant democracy, yet in more than half the states in America, LGBTQ+ people still lack comprehensive protections against discrimination. A recent study from the Center for American Progress shed light on the appalling fact that more than 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ Americans faced discrimination of some kind in the past year and as many as one-third also report altering aspects of their personal or work lives to avoid experiencing discrimination. For transgender Americans, discrimination is even more commonplace, with more than 3 in 5 individuals of transgender experience reporting discrimination in the past year. With the Equality Act introduced into the U.S. Senate as S.393, Floridians must join together to send a loud message to Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott that equality cannot wait any longer.

“It is now our responsibility as voters and citizens of this nation to call Senator Rubio and Senator Scott and ask them to be on the right side of history by supporting this unifying piece of legislation,” said Alfredo Olvera.

Dolphin Democrats – Equality Act Press Release

2020 Endorsements & Recommendations Card

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2020 Endorsements Card

2020 General Election Dolphin Democrats Endorsements & Recommendations Card

The Dolphin Democrats, the oldest LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus in Florida, is proud to announce its 2020 General Election Endorsements & Recommendations Voting Card.  All the endorsed candidates on this card had to complete a thorough questionnaire, and received 2/3 of all the votes from the members at the endorsement meeting.
We would like to thank the Campaign & Elections Committee for their hard work on making this a successful process and to the all the members who participated in the voting process during the endorsement  process.
We are proud to have endorsed all these Pro-LGBTQ+ candidates for the November 3, 2020 General Election.

Broward County Candidates Endorsement

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At the September 9th Membership Meeting the members of the Dolphin Democrats endorsed the following candidates running for office in Broward County on the ballot in the November 3rd General Election:

Gregory Tony – Sheriff

Harold Pryor – State Attorney

Gordon Weekes – Public Defender

Joe Scott – Supervisor of Elections

Dale Holness – County Commission D9

Debbi Hixon – School Board At-Large D9

Marie Woodson – State House D101

Maureen Porras – State House D105

Municipal Candidates – Endorsement

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At the September 9th Membership Meeting the members of the Dolphin Democrats endorsed the following candidates running for office and on the ballot in the November 3rd General Election.

Linda Anderson – Hollywood Commission D2

Stacy Kagan – Parkland Mayor

Bob Mayersohn – Parkland Commission D4

Jennifer Andreu – Plantation Council D3

Nick Sortal – Plantation Council D5

Jason Kruszka- Sunrise Commission Seat D

Felicia Brunson – West Park Mayor

Richard Stark – Weston Mayor

Kim Schnitzius – Weston Commission Seat 2

Broward County Primary Election Winners

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We would like to congratulate our endorsed candidates who won their primaries or advanced to the general election in November.
Sara Leonardi – School Board D-3 – Elected
Tim Ryan – County Commission D-7 – Elected
Tina Polsky – State Senate D29 – Primary Winner
Shevrin Jones – State House D35 – Primary Winner
Christine Hunschofsky – State House 96 – Primary Winner
Robin Bartleman – State House 104 – Primary Winner
Judicial Recommendations
17th Circuit Judge
George Odom Jr. – Group 16 – Has a run-off election in November
Patti Englander Henning – Group 18 – Elected
Frank Davie LeDee – Group 27 – Elected
Dale C. Cohen – Group 30 – Elected
Linda A. Alley – Group 50 – Elected
Broward County Court
Allison Gilman – Group 22 – Elected
Phoebee R. Francois – Group 27 – Elected
Natasha DePrimo – – Group 31 – Elected
We also want to congratulate the following Democrat who were not endorsed, but got elected:
Dale V.C. Holness – County Commission D-9 – Elected
Brenda Forman – Clerk of Courts – Elected
Gordon Weekes – Public Defender – Elected
Perry Thurston – State Senate D33 – Elected
Bobby Dubose – State House D94 – Elected
Felicia Simon Robinson – State House 102 – Elected
And finally congratulations to the following Democrats who didn’t get the endorsement, but won their primary. We look forward to endorse these candidates at our September 9th Membership Meeting.
Harold Pryor – State Attorney
Gregory Tony – Sheriff
Marie Woodson – State House 101
Maureen Porras – State House 103
Congratulations to all the winners!
The Supervisor of Elections will not be decided until the recount is over. The Broward School Board – At-Large D9 seat has a run-off election on November 3rd,

Endorsements: Primary Election – Press Release

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Dolphin Democrats Announce Endorsements and Recommendations 

Wilton Manors, FL – Members of the Dolphin Democrats, Florida’s largest LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, voted to endorse the following candidates for the August 18th Primary Election:

Florida State Senate:  Tina Polsky (D-29), Shevrin Jones (D-35),

Florida House of Representatives:

Jasmen Rogers-Shaw (D95)

Christine Hunschofsky (D-96)

David Williams Jr. (D-102)

Robin Bartleman (D-104)

Javier Estevez (D-105)

Broward County School Board: Sara Leonardi (D-3)

Broward County Clerk of Courts: Judge Mark Speiser

In addition, the membership voted to recommend the following Judicial Candidates:

17th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida

George Odeom Jr. Group 16; Patti Englander Henning, Group 18; Frank Davie LeDee, Group 27;  Dale C. Cohen, Group 30;  Linda A. Alley, Group 50

Broward County Court: Allison Gilman, Group 22;  Phoebee R. Francois, Group 27;

Natasha DePrimo, Group 31

The members also endorse Cindy Polo (D-103) & Linda Thompson-Gonzalez (D-93) for the November 3, 2020 General Election.  In addition, they also endorsed candidates Marty Kiar for Property Appraiser, Dr. Rosalind Osgood (D-5) and Patricia Good (D-2) for School board. Those 3 candidates ran unopposed and have already been elected for another term.

Dolphin Democrats President, Alfredo Olvera, issued the following statement on the Caucus’ endorsements: “We are immensely proud of our endorsement process. This year our members overwhelming voted to endorse each one of these candidates because they have demonstrated to be pro LGBTQ+ rights, and have committed to fight for the fundamental rights of the all members in our community.”

The Dolphin Democrats’ mission this election year is to Unite, Ignite, and Win.

 

You can read the full Press Release below:

PR_Endorsements_DD_07142020

Dolphin Democrats Mourn the Loss of Wilton Manors Mayor, Past President, and Board Member Justin Flippen.

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NEWS RELEASE

For immediate release

February 25th, 2020

Contact: Alfredo Olvera

President, Dolphin Democrats

[email protected]

Dolphin Democrats Mourn the Loss of Wilton Manors Mayor, Past President, and Board Member Justin Flippen.

Wilton Manors, FL – The Dolphin Democrats are deeply saddened by the passing of Wilton Manors Mayor, past President, board member, and friend Justin Flippen. Justin was a fierce champion for the LGBTQ community and a proud Democrat. Justin had a lot of titles, but never left out his time as our President. He always reminded us that he got his start in political activism with the Dolphin Democrats. We are heartbroken by this loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and everyone who loved him.

May he rest in peace.

Michael Bloomberg wins Presidential Preference straw poll at Dolphin Dems Meeting

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Wilton Manors, FL – Members of the Dolphin Democrats conducted a Presidential Preference Primary Straw Poll at their Feb. 12 monthly meeting. Michael R. Bloomberg won the straw poll garnering 32 percent of the votes. Coming in second was Pete Buttigieg at 25 percent, and third was Elizabeth Warren at 23 percent. Amy Klobuchar received 8.51 percent of the vote; Joe Biden received 6.38 percent; Bernie Sanders received 4.36 percent; and Tom Steyer received 0 percent.

 “We’re always looking for ways to excite LGBTQ+ Democrats in Broward County,” said Alfredo Olvera, President of the Dolphin Democrats. “The straw poll is a fun and exciting way to energize Democrats and find out the pulse of our caucus, but I want to stress it is not an official endorsement of the organization.

“I encourage all LGBTQ+ Broward Democrats to fight for their respective candidates with all their heart and passion, but in the end, we must come together to defeat President Trump.”

The Dolphin Democrats’ mission this election year is to Unite, Ignite, and Win.

The Dolphin Democrats will conduct a second and final straw poll at their Wednesday, March 11 membership meeting.

For more information, please visit https://www.dolphindems.org

CLICK HERE FOR FULL PRESS RELEASE

Trump’s deceptions mask hateful actions toward LGBTQ+ people

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Opinion by Dolphin Democrats’ Alfredo Olvera in the South Florida Sun Sentinel

In its Jan. 27 op-ed in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Log Cabin Republicans claimed, “Trump is the most pro-gay president in U.S. history.” That is an outrageous statement.

As is so often the case with Trump, his statements contradict his actions. Yes, Trump has made statements that imply support for the LGBTQ+ community. However, his policies have consistently chipped away at the rights of the most marginalized people in our country, particularly the transgender community.

  • Trump banned LGBTQ+ refugees entering the United States.
  • Trump rescinded Title IX protections for transgender students.
  • Trump banned transgender people from serving in the military.
  • Trump signed an executive order laying the groundwork to discriminate against LGBTQ+ citizens based on religion.
  • Trump stated Title VII, which protects against employment discrimination, does not extend to LGBTQ+ individuals.
  • Trump rolled back protections for incarcerated transgender people.
  • Trump has endangered the very freedoms and lives of our community.

The President of the Broward Log Cabin Republicans, Andrew Brett, attacked the Dolphin Democrats for being partisan and for not praising a man who continuously commits atrocities against our community.

The hypocrisy is jarring.

It is the Republicans who have been silent, hence complicit, in every attack this administration has carried out on the LGBTQ+ community and minorities. It is the Republicans who were silent in 2019 when at least 25 transgender and gender non-conforming people were fatally shot or killed by other violent means.

It is because of organizations such as the Dolphin Democrats — who actively fight to protect the rights of marginalized communities — that we have an informed community and pro-equality local elected officials.

It is because of organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign, Equality Florida, and S.A.V.E., who lobby fiercely on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community, that we have protections like marriage equality.

It is because of organizations such as TransInclusive Group, The Pride Center, and SunServe that we can have safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people in Broward County.

It is because of the Democratic Party and the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, who directly advocate to pass pro-LGBTQ+ ordinances and legislation, that our communities have human rights protections.

Where have the Republicans been when their own LGBTQ+ members needed protection? Our community is in peril, and once again, Log Cabin Republicans have placed their party over their own community.

The Dolphin Democrats will continue the work we started in 1982. We will continue to fight for equality and for equity.

We will continue to advocate to ensure that all voices, and not just the privileged ones, are heard.
We will continue to unite to ensure every member of the LGBTQ+ community has a seat at the table no matter their socioeconomic status, religious belief, national origin, or racial background.

We encourage every LGBTQ+ person to show the Trump administration that enough is enough by registering to vote and showing up on Election Day. It is only when we ignite and unite that we will win.

Read Op-Ed in SunSentinel