Florida considers anti-discrimination bill for LGBT rights

Legislation to expand Florida's anti-discrimination law to include gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals and the transgendered was heard Monday by the Senate Judiciary Committee, the first such hearing the measure has received in the 10 years it has been filed.

The bill, however, was initially rejected with a tied vote. The committee later voted to resurrect the bill during its next meeting, on Tuesday.

LGBT advocates say the legislation's prospects matter less than the evolving public attitudes that may have convinced the Senate's Republican leaders to give the anti-discrimination measure a hearing. The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last year legalizing nationwide same-sex marriage has been cited as a catalyst for the anti-discrimination debate.

Denise Brogan-Kator, a Pinellas County certified public accountant who says she was fired 15 years ago after it became known she was transitioning to a new gender, traveled to Tallahassee to impart her story to lawmakers as a reason to pass the legislation.

"Being fired for something that has nothing to do with your performance or your ability to do the job and, in fact, in spite of exceptional performance, is heartbreaking, and I lost my house. We ended up declaring bankruptcy," Brogan-Kator said.

Despite the strong show of support for the legislation, the hearing was attended by just as many opponents. They questioned whether an LGBT anti-discrimination law might go too far, for instance, by allowing the transgendered to use bathroom facilities intended for what some might view as the opposite sex.

"You could have a lot of weirdos doing weird things in bathrooms," argued Sen. Wilton Simpson (R-New Port Richey).

Still other critics took aim at the legislation as a vehicle to suppress religious freedom.

"I know that they take these small steps and they use them as stepping stones, so they're saying that they're not going to do anything more, but trust me, they've already got a plan to come after Christians all the way through churches," said Charlene Cothran, who traveled from Palm Coast to attend the hearing.