1st Openly Gay State Court Judge Speaks At Gulfport LGBTQ Center

GULFPORT, FL -- Broward County Florida Circuit Court Judge Robert W. Lee, the first opening gay person appointed to the Florida State Court bench, will speak Wednesday, June 12 at 7 p.m. at the Gulfport Public Library, 5501 28th Ave. S.

His free presentation is titled, “Welcome to Florida: LGBT Attorneys Need Not Apply."

Until 1979, it was illegal for an LGBT person to work as an attorney in the state of Florida, and roadblocks persisted into the 1980s. Lee will review the history of the barriers that have been in place, the cases that triggered a change in the view of this issue by the Florida Supreme Court, and development of current rules of professional conduct and judicial canons that deal with the treatment of LGBT persons in Florida courts.

The presentation will also address current laws dealing with LGBT discrimination in the court workplace.

This review of LGBTQ legal history in Florida is open to all. Attorneys and Judges will receive continuing education credit for attendance.*

Lee is a distinguished jurist who has received the Chief Justice Award for Judicial Excellence, as well as the President’s Award for Outstanding Service, both in 2016. His wide community involvement has included the Broward Education Foundation; Broward United Against Discrimination; the Broward Human Rights Initiative; the Broward County Hispanic Bar Association; and the Stonewall National Museum and Archives.

He was chair of the Broward County Canvassing Board and presided over the historic 2000 Presidential Recount in Broward County. He has presided over almost 350 jury trials and has more than 500 published legal decisions. Lee has served as an adjunct professor of legal studies at Florida International University, Florida Metropolitan Universityand Barry University.

* Approved for 1.0 Hour Ethics CLE by The Florida Bar. Approved for 1.25 Hours CJE credit (ethics/fairness & diversity) by the Office of State Courts.

LGBTQ Film Series

The LGBTQ Resource Center at Gulfport Public Library also invited residents to the next installment of the LGBTQ Film Series on Thursday, June 13 at 7 p.m.

The series will present "Stonewall Uprising," a compelling 2010 documentary revealing the series of events leading up to and including the historic Stonewall Riots in 1969. 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of Stonewall.

The Film Series is a free gathering to watch a film in the company of friends and neighbors on the second Thursday of each month.
Popcorn, candy, bottled water and soda are available. Donations will be accepted to benefit the LGBTQ Resource Center. Feel free to bring your own “brown bag” supper and beverages. Each film begins at 7pm in the Friends Room at Gulfport Public Library (5501 28th Avenue South). Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

On June 28, 1969, New York police raided a Greenwich Village gay bar, The Stonewall Inn. For the first time, patrons refused to be led into paddy wagons, setting off a three-day riot that launched the Gay Rights Movement.

Told by Stonewall patrons, reporters and the cop who led the raid, this documentary recalls the bad old days when psychoanalysts equated homosexuality with mental illness and police entrapment was rampant. At the height of this oppression, the cops raided Stonewall, triggering nights of pandemonium with tear gas, billy clubs and a small army of tactical police. The rest is history. (Rated PG 13).

Prior to the film, local resident Jay Chetney, who was present during the Stonewall riots, will speak.

The next film in the series, "Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution," will be shown Thursday July 11. Started in the 1980s as a fabricated movement intended to punk the punk scene, Queercore quickly became a real-life cultural community of LGBTQ music and movie-making revolutionaries. From the start of the pseudo-movement to the widespread rise of pop artists who used queer identity to push back against gay assimilation and homophobic punk culture, "Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution" is just that: a how-to guide for the next generation of queer radicals. (Not Rated)

Also save the dates for the films on Aug. 8, "Southwest of Salem," and Sept. 12, "The Happy Prince."

Popcorn, candy, bottled water and soda will be available. Donations will be accepted to benefit the LGBTQ Resource Center. Feel free to bring a brown-bag supper and beverages. Each film begins at 7 p.m. in the Friends Room at Gulfport Public Library. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.