What a month it’s been!  By now I hope most of you know that the historic Human Rights Ordinance passed the Leon County Commission.  The process was a roller coaster of emotions for almost everyone involved, but the end result is an ordinance that provides greater protections for the citizens of our county.  The ordinance doesn’t focus solely on the LGBT members of the community, it truly is a human rights issue and it expands the protections for all existing protected classes.  There are plenty of details about the specifics of the ordinance and just what it does for you and your fellow citizens in this issue.

This issue comes to you, still a little late (we’re working on getting back on schedule!), as we’re entering the traditional pride month.  We’ve already had our annual pride festival, but thanks to our good friends at The Mickee Faust Academy, there is plenty of pride to go around in June as they hold their annual Queer as Faust festival all month long.  Their events are noted in this issue’s calendar and I encourage you to check them out if your schedule permits.  If you haven’t checked out the book by their “Head Cheese” (Terri Galloway), Mean Little Deaf Queer, this issue features the third and final excerpt from her book.  She is a remarkable woman and if she wasn’t famous within our community before the Human Rights Ordinance hearings, she certainly was after she walked out of the April 27, telling Commissioner Proctor what was on her, and many other peoples, mind.

There is much more to the traditional pride month than simply when many cities hold their annual festival.  One of the pivotal events leading to June becoming known internationally as gay pride month was the Stonewall Riots in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969.  Michael Fader’s account sums it up, “…we felt that we had freedom at last, or freedom to at least show that we demanded freedom. We weren't going to be walking meekly in the night and letting them shove us around—it's like standing your ground for the first time and in a really strong way, and that's what caught the police by surprise. There was something in the air, freedom a long time overdue, and we're going to fight for it. It took different forms, but the bottom line was, we weren't going to go away. And we didn't.”  There was a great deal of aftermath, both in the days and weeks that followed, during the first organized gay pride march on the one year anniversary, and in the years that came after, as the gay rights movement took shape.  There are many articles, books, documentaries and movies on Stonewall and the gay rights movement.  Pick one up during the month of June and remind yourself of where we’ve been, where we’re headed, and why it’s important.  If you do nothing else, check out the Wikipedia articles and links, they’re free!  We’ll try to weave some of this information into future issues and our website, particularly leading up to National Coming Out Day and LGBT History Month in October.

As we enter the heated Tallahassee summer, all of us at The Family Tree hope you can find some time to take a break and enjoy the upcoming holidays.  There are dozens of opportunities every week to learn something new, enjoy some great music, and socialize with friends and neighbors.  We are working on planning at least one or two events over the summer, so keep checking the paper and your e-mail for announcements.  If you have ideas for events or improvements to services, or know of something that needs to be in the paper, let us know, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .