After more than a year of work the first Pembroke Pines vote to add DP benefits for city employees, firefighters, and police is tonight. I have met with the swing vote and believe there is a very real chance we could lose 3-2. I fear that a general disbelief in our community that Pembroke Pines could conceivably vote against domestic partnership in this day and age has folks taking lightly a very difficult vote.
We need a show of force tonight. Please email me back to let me know if you can attend (meeting details below in our action alert). Feel free to call me on my cell if you want to discuss strategy - 954-682-6094.
Here's the latest:
Commissioner Angelo Castillo has put forward a motion to provide health care coverage to same sex couples who marry in another state. Although this sounds like a fine thing to do, it's also likely a ploy to restrict DP benefits to these couples only. While we can support the motion, it is absolutely not enough. Forcing same sex couples to travel to another state and marry just to receive basic health insurance for their partners is unfair. Beyond that, all unmarried partners, gay and straight, need these vital benefits. Which is why nearly every DP policy in Florida is accessible to both same sex and opposite sex partners (and opposite sex partners are the majority of enrollees).
Also, despite admitting at the workshop that their numbers are complete guesswork, the city's actuaries continue to cling to a ridiculous cost estimate that we believe is 10 times too high. I'll send more on that separately.
Commissioner Iris Siple, who is an all out hero and who has been fighting this battle while also undergoing chemotherapy, has put forward a motion to draw up a comprehensive domestic partner benefits policy.
Bottom line is they need to hear a clear unified voice from our community that these benefits are essential, that Pembroke employees have waited far to long, and there will be shock if Pembroke does not take this very basic step towards fairness.
Stratton
PS - Here is a link to Pembroke Pines equality rating by HRC. Note that at 43 Pembroke Pines is one of the lowest rated cities in Florida. However even that number is generous. If it were not for the bonus points Pembroke receives because of policies Broward County has passed, Pembroke's score would be a 7. http://www.hrc.org/files/
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