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Michael Smith Wins Largo City Commission Race! Great news! Tonight Michael Smith won his historic race to become the first LGBT person to win a seat on the Largo City Commission. Michael defeated a long time incumbent known for her anti-gay beliefs. The victory is sweeter because of the incumbent's history of appealing to prejudice. She led the charge to have the City Manager fired for being transgender. Michael's opponent appealed to homophobia once again, but the tactic backfired. Longtime supporters deserted her and Michael won tonight’s election with 53.97% of the vote. Thank you to all of the Equality Florida members who supported Michael’s campaign. The evening was a clean sweep for all the Equality Florida PAC endorsed candidates. Congratulations are also in order to Steve Kornell, Charles Gerdes and Wengay Newton. Click after the jump to see Equality Florida Action PACs Endorsement of Michael Smith

Great new study out of Ohio shows the impact of homophobia on the economy.  "The perception that there is prejudice against gay and lesbians by conservative groups is strong enough to be picked up in market prices,” - Susane Leguizamon of Tulane University in New Orleans.

President Obama has included gay parents in a proclamation recognizing November as national adoption month.

by David K. Johnson

The anti-gay extremists are going berserk. They've launched an all out attack on Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen who is the first and ,so far, only Republican to co-sponsor a bill that would repeal the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is the first and only Republican to co-sponsor a bill that would repeal the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act.

Are you a k.d. Lang fan? Want to see her perform in Clearwater, FL on October 7th? Sign up below to win two FREE tickets to k.d. Lang’s performance at Ruth Eckerd Hall on Friday, October 7th at 8pm AND an autographed poster.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the fall of Florida's anti-gay adoption ban. Click here for more on this amazing victory.

  Rep.Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's remarks as she receives the Log Cabin Republican's Spirt of Lincoln Award.

Check out this video from WTSP - Tampa Bay Channel 10's great coverage on the end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell!"

What was your coming out moment like?

"Today marks the end of "Don't Ask Don't Tell." The law is repealed. From this day forward, gay and lesbian soldiers may serve in our Army with the dignity and respect they deserve." - Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Ray Odierno, et al

Respect Marriage End DOMA

Students Reveal Teacher Brought Anti-Gay Bias to the Classroom Weak Anti-Bullying Policy Leaves Lake County Students Unprotected

The Rays’ video features two-time All Star outfielder Johnny Damon, outfielders BJ Upton and Sam Fuld, second baseman Sean Rodriguez and manager Joe Maddon. In the video Damon shares a story about how he was consistently bullied when he was younger for stuttering but was able to overcome it .

International reggae artist Mista Majah P formerly known Major P has released the world’s first pro-gay reggae album.

From North Carolina to New York City,thousands of people have already evacuated their homes to escape Hurricane Irene’s path. Among them are transgender people who, like others, don’t have anywhere else to turn to except for evacuation shelters. Considering the unique difficulties transgender evacuees encounter, NCTE, Lambda Legal, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force have issued these simple guidelines to assist shelters in making their spaces safe for transgender people. Download the resource and share it with evacuation shelters in your area.