Tampa Area city council vetoes gay partner benefits

[WillParkinson]

Tampa Area city council vetoes gay partner benefits


(Tampa, Florida) A proposal that could have led to health benefits for the domestic partners of Hillsborough County employees has been flatly rejected.

Openly gay commissioner Kevin Beckner proposed a motion calling for a study into the feasibility of the benefits. Beckner, who was elected in November, said he proposed the idea now because the county is in the process of taking bids for employee health insurance. That process happens only once every four years.

Beckner is the first openly gay politician to win office in the conservative county; during the campaign pledged he would not use the office to advocate for LGBT issues.

When he proposed the benefits plan, some in his district accused him of breaking that pledge.

<snip>

The weirdest part of the article:
In 2005, Hillsborough County made national headlines when commissioners passed an ordinance barring the county government from any acknowledgment of Gay Pride, and a second ordinance making it virtually impossible to repeal the first one.


http://www.365gay.com/news/tampa-area-city-council-vetoes-gay-partner-benefits/

[flvegan]

1. I'm shocked, I tell you. Just shocked.

Bearing in mind that this is the old stomping grounds of Ronda Storms and Brian Blair, it seems that no matter who we vote in and out, we still don't gain any ground on the GLBT front.

When they "banned" Gay Pride, many of us appealed to them to simply consider the MONEY it's worth to the area to have a big Gay Pride celebration. We hoped they'd listen to a fiscal argument if not a human one. Basically told us to go fuck ourselves.

Assholes.

[LeftyMom]

2. Have you ever considered moving to civilization?

I mean, my perverted ulterior motives aside, you do live in the most assbackward major city in the most assbackward state in most assbackward country in the supposedly free world. And it's humid and there are poisonous things and 'phobes and Republicans (sorry about the repetition) everywhere.

Love, the money argument doesn't work anymore on Republicans. All the old fiscal conservatives got shouted down by the people who think Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a velociraptor while shouting some bigoted shit that would embarrass Phred Phelps.

[bluedawg12]

5. This is a keeper

"people who think Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a velociraptor while shouting some bigoted shit that would embarrass Phred Phelps..."

Duzy material gold, I say!

[Eryemil]

4. Vancouver (Where I now live) is a nice city, you might like it!

[xchrom]

3. of course they did. nt

[mitchtv]

6. And you expect what?

from a state shaped like a penis?