OUR BEGINNING:

For far too long the northwest Florida LGBT community had been without organized leadership, leaving us without the strategic plan, strong voice, visibility, and presence to address the many inequalities we face based solely on our sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

When the 2008 Florida Amendment 2 sought to once again categorically deny same gender couples the right to marry, a growing number of persons became engaged in the fight for  marriage equality.  Losing this November 4, 2008 election battle dramatically illustrated that misunderstanding, fear, and prejudice had again stood in the way of fairness and equality for Florida’s LGBT community.  On November 15, 2008, over 100 members of our Gulf Coast LGBT Community, in true grassroots fashion, came together in downtown Pensacola to publicly demonstrate our sadness and anger that once again we had been marginalized and devalued.  Out of this rally questions arose as to why the Pensacola LGBT Community had never organized efforts to focus through non-partisan political action the advancement of equal rights for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender persons.  We saw the potential to create an out and proud LGBT organization that would include a strong advocacy component.

Over the next week, a small group of activists decided that the time was right to start weeding out this anti-gay hatred and discrimination through such action. With the idea of sowing, tending, and harvesting the seeds of understanding, respect, and equality, grew what was to become an organization appropriately named Gay Grassroots of Northwest Florida.  The first order of business was to draft a mission statement that would reflect its goals:  To bring together non-partisan activists to advocate for full UNDERSTANDING, RESPECT, EQUALITY, and INCLUSION of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender persons living in Northwest Florida.  Our plan was simple:  remain focused on our four mission platforms of increasing UNDERSTANDING, RESPECT, EQUALITY, and INCLUSION; strengthen our community; and have fun.

EARLY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

In June 2009, we assumed the role of publisher of a monthly newsletter which we expanded and re-named Rainbow Blades. 

In less than four months, Gay Grassroots brought back, a lengthened pride festival to Pensacola which we re-branded PensacolaPRIDE.  This seven-day event saw record attendance with weekly events drawing 50-75 people and the Festival in the Park reaching a 1,200 peak at one point during the day.  Thanks to the dedication and hard work of a small band of volunteers, PensacolaPRIDE ended up in the black as well as being the most successful pride event any LGBT organization has ever produced in Pensacola. 

Having proven that Gay Grassroots could throw a great party, attention turned to incorporating further advocacy into the mix.  In January 2010, Gay Grassroots leaders visited with Representative Jeff Miller’s Chief Aid on behalf of an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act.  In February 2010, we collaborated in efforts with ally groups to successfully get The University of West Florida to add sexual orientation and gender identity/expression to its anti-discrimination policies.  In March of 2010, we sent a delegation to Tallahassee to lobby at the State Capitol in opposition to the ban on adoptions by gay persons, which lead to its first floor debate in 33 years, and ultimately lead to it being ruled unconstitutional.

On April 14, 2010, we partnered with the University of West Florida’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA), the Panhandle Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the national Human Rights Campaign (HRC), to bring the “Voices of Honor” tour again to Pensacola, which featured a panel of U.S. service members who had served under the unjust “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

On September 23,  2010,  we opened Pensacola’s first ever LGBT community center, only the sixth in the State of Florida.  This inclusive and welcoming LGBT community center is a joint project of Okaloosa AIDS Support & Informational Services and The Red Ribbon Charitable Foundation.  The grand opening was attended by over 200 persons and covered extensively in the local print and broadcast media.  (Less than two months later we had already moved to a bigger and better location!)

On October 11, 2010, National Coming Out Day during PensacolaPRIDE 2010, we hosted the area’s first candidate forum on LGBT equality issues.  Over 45 people attended this forum, which featured 12 city and county office seekers. This was the first organized event designed to get candidates to go on the record with their understanding (or lack of) LGBT issues and how they would address LGBT concerns if elected.

On October 16, 2010, also during PensacolaPRIDE 2010, we hosted the area’s first Mass Gay Wedding.  Fifteen same gender couples, plus one straight couple who wanted to show their support for marriage equality,  This “Wedding of Hearts” allowed couples to publicly declare their love and commitment to each other.  This event also was covered extensively in local print and broadcast media.

On November 1, 2010, we relocated the Equality House to a larger and improved location, 317 North Spring Street, Pensacola, Florida 32501.  This new location was compliant with the American with Disabilities Act, and increased parking and had a more flexible floor plan.  On September 12, 2011, Equality House moved into our current location at 18 South DeVilliers Street, Pensacola, Florida 32502.  This move was precipitated by our desire to ensure that the LGBT Community Center we had envisioned was able to continue in a manner that best served our local LGBT Community.  The prior collaboration with OASIS had become unproductive as our two organizations' missions (GGNWFL=LGBT focused and OASIS=HIV/AIDS focused) no longer fit well together as OASIS wanted to change our agreed upon method of operations toward one which would force Gay Grassroots to take a much more subordinate role rather than maintain an equal partnership.  This separation will allow Equality House to move forward with its mission “To provide a safe, comfortable, and welcoming space to serve as the social, educational, resource, and networking hub for the Pensacola area LGBT Community.  Operation of the Equality House is guided, operated, and funded solely by members of the local LGBT community who share our common goals.”

To find out more about our home please click on EQUALITY HOUSE.

As impressive at this sounds, this is only the beginning.  Our future growth and successes depend on you.  We invite you to become a part of what lies ahead.  To learn about what we have set as this year’s Advocacy Goals, please click on ADVOCACY.

Gay Grassroots understands that not everyone is ready to take on the advocacy role; however, your paid membership will allow Gay Grassroots to optimally utilize the advocacy skills of those who desire to participate in that arena, please click on MEMBERSHIP to join Gay Grassroots.

STRUCTURE:

Gay Grassroots is a community driven organization, currently led by a governing body which includes the offices of President, Secretary, and Treasurer.   Officers are elected by paid members to a two-year term.  Standing committees include: 

Membership - recruits and maintains paid members;

Publicity - assists with Rainbow Blades newsletter, manages our facebook pages and website,  keeps current information  about   Gay Grassroots, Equality House, and PensacolaPRIDE distributed to other groups and businesses;

Advocacy/Education - works proactively on LGBT issues of concern, this would be the team the “plants the seeds” of understanding and justice for LGBT issues in our local area, working to improve the local climate toward the LGBT community;

Task Force for Corrective Action - makes organized efforts to correct problems as they become know to our community, this would be the team that would jump to quickly “douse a fire” when we become aware of a critical situation that is destructive to our local LGBT community;

Social  - selects and executes events and activities of a mostly social nature both at and away from the Equality House, outside of events associated with PensacolaPRIDE;

Health and Wellness - works to bring information on, as well as opportunities to address and improve or correct health challenges that affect the LGBT community most specifically or are under addressed within the LGBT community, including but not limited to HIV; and

Fundraising - responsible for the fiscal stability of Gay Grassroots and the Equality House.  Of all the standing committees, this is perhaps the most critical for the survival of Gay Grassroots as an organization relies on laying a foundation of fiscal stability.

LEADERSHIP:

President, Doug Landreth, has been an LGBT activist for all of his adult life.  He was a co-founder of CoastalPRIDE in Fort Walton Beach (the area’s first LGBT organization) where he published its Alternate Route newsletter for 10 years.  During Gulf Coast TIDE’s existence he served on its Board of Directors as well as the “Come Out Pensacola” and “Pride Fest” steering committees.  With the birth of Gay Grassroots, a priority of Doug’s was to bring back a monthly community newsletter now known as Rainbow Blades.  Doug is an active member of Holy Cross Metropolitan Church, where he served on its capital campaign steering committee, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Pensacola Chapter of The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).  Doug has volunteered for over 15 years with Okaloosa AIDS Support & Information Services (OASIS), where he has served on the Positive Living HIV conference steering committee for 13 years.  Doug was the first recipient of its Founders Award.  Doug is currently employed as the Program Administrator for OASIS’s Operation Know Now program, an initiative to increase HIV testing among high risk gay and bisexual men in the Pensacola area.  For three years, Doug was a participant in an HIV/AIDS clinical vaccine safety trial at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  Doug is a frequent presenter and panelist for LGBT sensitivity issues at local universities.  In 2010, Doug was named North Florida’s Activist of the Year by the readers of Out on the Town magazine.