MIAMI LEADERS FOCUS ON IMPROVING TRANS QUALITY OF LIFE

John McDonald

IN THE MIDST OF UNPRECEDENTED ATTACKS ON TRANSGENDER PEOPLE, LEADERS IN MIAMI ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO MITIGATE THE DAMAGE.

The City of Miami’s LGBTQIA Advisory Board is hosting a focus group designed to develop strategies to make Miami more welcoming for trans people. The focus group is part of Miami’s Accelerate Change Together LGBTQ+ Initiative, a plan put in place to address health inequities in the LGBTQIA community.

Michael Roman, Miami’s liaison to the LGBTQIA community, said the advisory board was created two years ago and has been steadily making progress. Miami raised its score from 75 to 89 in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual municipal equality index.

“We’re super excited about the board and what we’ve been able to accomplish,” said Roman.

The seven-member board currently has three vacancies.

The Accelerate Change Together focus group will meet on April 20 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Due to safety concerns, the venue is not disclosed to the public, said Roman.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who sponsored the ordinance that created the board, has come under attack for the city’s involvement.

“Dear @FrancisSuarez [Gillum Republican rumored to be wanting to run for president] what change do you want to accelerate?” tweeted Evan Power, Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.

Roman declined to comment on Power’s tweet. He said the initiative’s purpose is to improve health outcomes for LGBT people living in Miami and is made possible through a grant from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.

STATE REP. FABIAN BASABE IS A REPUBLICAN REPRESENTING MIAMI BEACH. HE MAY HAVE BEEN INVITED BY ORGANIZERS TO BE IN MIAMI BEACH’S PRIDE PARADE, BUT THE CROWD MADE SURE HE KNEW HE WASN’T WELCOME.

Basabe is a gay man who’s been married to a woman since 2005 and reportedly was once a fixture of Miami Beach’s LGBT nightlife. Now he is a freshman representative in Tallahassee who won his seat by about 200 votes by campaigning to be pro-LGBT and pro-women’s health. He hasn’t lived up to his campaign promises and constituents are letting him hear it. A video posted to Twitter by Equality Florida’s Brandon Wolf shows Basabe in Sunday’s Pride parade. He’s in a red convertible holding a Pride flag, while people on the side screamed, “Shame! Shame! Shame!”

Basabe says being part of the GOP supermajority means that his district is finally being heard and represented for the first time in years. But their interests aren’t being fairly portrayed. During an interview with CBS4’s Jim DeFede, he tried to weasel around why he voted for expansion of “Don’t Say Gay” and restrictions on drag entertainment.

He refused to give a yes or no answer when pressed on if he supported a ban on abortions in Florida after six weeks, saying he would address it during the floor vote. DeFede noted that when the vote was called, Basabe took a walk and skipped the vote.

More Trouble Ahead

The confrontation at MB Pride was the second of the weekend for Basabe. Late last week, protestors rallied outside his district office. He came down to try and talk with them, but, according to the Miami New Times, accused them of being paid protestors.

Besides facing the wrath of his constituents, he is also facing the long arm of the law. Last week, a 25-year-old aide accused Basabe of drinking alcohol and slapping him across the face and being told to stand in a corner. Basabe says he doesn’t remember the incident.

The Florida Speaker’s Office says the matter is under investigation.