Why We’re Here

November 15th, 2008 was a National Day of Protest, a web-based organized protest in cities around the country and around the world.  The protest was against the passage of several anti-gay ballot measures that enshrined discrimination in [several more] state constitutions, including California and Florida.

In Florida, there were protests in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, St. Petersburg, Orlando, and several other big cities.  There was nothing organized, however, for Fort Myers or anywhere else in Southwest Florida.

I looked online to see if anything was planned.  I searched.  I didn’t find anything.  I know others did the same thing.  Several of my friends drove up to St. Petersburg to join in their protest.

One man, however, did protest in Fort Myers.  Jack went to Fort Myers City Hall, put up a sign, and protested.  No one joined him because no one knew he was going to be there.  He did get some attention, though.  He appeared on Towleroad, and from there, things snowballed.  People saw his story, and Jack saw an opportunity to create a community where none existed.

So on Saturday, November 22nd, 2008, we got together.  There were 7 of us.  We talked.  We brainstormed.  We came up with a simple goal: to create a voice for GLBT people in Southwest Florida.  If another Day of Protest happened, we wanted a place to let the whole community to know about it.  To accomplish this, we came up with a simple plan: to create a blog dedicated to the events and activities of interest to the GLBT people of Southwest Florida.

What we’re going to talk about:

• National and local news topics that impact the GLBT community
• Local GLBT events and activities
• Local GLBT-friendly businesses and organizations.

What you can do:

• Submit topic ideas, links to stories, and other supportive commentary about the GLBT community.
• Submit your business or organization for inclusion in our listings.
• Go out into the community, interact with businesses and individuals, and report back what happened.
• Tell your friends about us.
• Link to us.
• Come here to read and comment about it all.  Participate in our site.

This will likely start slowly.  We need to build a list of resources.  We need to build a readership.  We need contributors.  We need momentum.  Hopefully, eventually, people will become aware of this as a tool to connect with the GLBT community.

Many thanks to Jack, who had the courage to stand alone in protest.  Thanks also to those who came together to start the ball rolling, including Dan Renzi, editor of the South Florida Blade, who provided guidance and direction as well as technical help and support, and our founding contributors Mark, Blane, and the two Chrises.  And thanks to Bennett’s Fresh Roast for giving us a place to meet and sample their delicious fresh-roasted coffee and freshly-made donuts.