GAINESVILLE- On Tuesday, August 13, the Alachua County Commission voted 4-0 to add employment, housing and public accommodation protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents.

“We are thrilled Alachua County has joined the 24 other Florida cities and counties as well as 84% of the nation’s largest employers that already have these protections,” said Mallory Garner-Wells, Public Policy Director for Equality Florida. “Now, all residents of Alachua County will be protected against discrimination based on who they are.”

Many Floridians felt underwhelmed after the DOMA appeal. After all, Florida wasn’t even close to legalizing gay marriage so, nothing short of uprooting our lives and moving to California, how could this affect us? Equality Florida—the premiere gay rights organization in Florida—understood this dilemma and crafted a project as a solution: Get Engaged!.

As LGBTQ Americans across the country continue to celebrate the June 26 Supreme Court ruling striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the immediate future of marriage equality in Florida looks bleak.  Even so, a call to action is growing state-wide to bring about change.

Equality Florida is seeking a same-sex couple who wants to sue Florida for marriage equality.

Here's the news release:

After consulting with state and national legal experts on the scope of the Supreme Court decision and the impact it may have for state constitutional bans, Equality Florida is reaching out to potential plaintiffs for a lawsuit in Florida.

Plaintiff and simple

In 2008, more than 60% of Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment that prevents same-sex marriages from being performed or recognized in the Sunshine State. But after rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court in June declared a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional and dismissed Proposition 8 in California, Floridians are hopeful that someday marriage equality could arrive in our state.

El grupo Equality Florida, que defiende los derechos de los homosexuales, anunció hoy el lanzamiento a nivel estatal de la campaña "Get Engaged" (Comprométete) con el objetivo de derogar la prohibición del matrimonio homosexual en este estado.

Equality Florida defendió hoy que, tras la decisión del Supremo de invalidar la ley que define el matrimonio como la unión de un hombre y una mujer, es momento de que Florida se movilice y exija a sus autoridades el reconocimiento del matrimonio gay en este estado.