Fight OUT Loud explained

Fight OUT Loud
Founded Date:2007
Location:United States
Area Served:United States
Focus:"Fight OUT Loud is a national non-profit organization dedicated to empowering GLBT individuals and their allies to fight discrimination and hate."
Method:Activism
Homepage:fightoutloud.org

Fight OUT Loud is a non-profit organization in the United States aimed to empower LGBT individuals. Fight OUT Loud was established in 2007.

Overview

Fight OUT Loud is a United States 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2007 to empower lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, and their allies to fight discrimination and hate.[1] The organization also works to raise awareness of hate crimes as in the cases of E.O. Green School shooting of Lawrence King.[2] The group also advocates for the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).[3]

History

Fight OUT Loud was founded by Waymon Hudson and Anthony Niedwiecki as a result of a 2007 incident where an employee at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport played an anti-gay death threat over the intercom quoting a Bible verse from Leviticus reading "men that lie with men as with women should be put to death."[4] The couple complained but no action was taken until they alerted local and national media outlets. According to Hudson, the incident became an international news story.[5] According to the group they had over 5,000 members in less than four months of doing their free online action alerts.[1]

Their first cause after the airport incident was supporting two 14-year-old lesbians in Portland, Oregon who were verbally abused by the bus driver as he was kicking them off the bus for kissing.[4] The group worked with the teens and their mothers, the Portland transit department issued an apology in response to the concerns.[4]

National Recognition

In 2007 Fight OUT Loud became a leader in the effort to address Fort Lauderdale, Florida Mayor Jim Naugle's comments about the gay community.[6] [7] [8] Comments Naugle made about alleged use of a planned $250,000 robotic toilet in Fort Lauderdale's beach to prevent sexual encounters between men caused protests from the local community.[9] In a press release and in public rallies they tied his official public statements to violent anti-gay incidents.[10] [11] The protests and campaign led to Naugle's removal from Broward County's Tourism Board, and the proposed toilet was eliminated from the budget.[6] [12]

In 2008 the group announce the first four members of their newly formed national board of advisors including: Chip Arndt (activist and winner of The Amazing Race - season 4); Matt Foreman (Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force); David Mixner (political strategist, civil rights activist and public affairs advisor); and Pam Spaulding (Editor and publisher of Pam's House Blend).[13]

In 2010 Hudson and Niedwiecki moved to Chicago and continue to coordinate the group's work from there online.[14] [15]

In 2011 the organization was the beneficiary of "Rock Out Loud", a music concert and anti hate crimes rally at Nova Southeastern University.[16]

Anthony Niedwiecki

A law professor and administrator at Broward County's Shepard Broad law school, Niedwiecki and his husband Waymon Hudson were co-founders of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender lobby group Fight OUT Loud,[17] and led an activist campaign against former Fort Lauderdale mayor Jim Naugle after Naugle made a number of anti-gay statements.[18] The couple also lobbied the Florida State Senate to overturn the state's ban on gay adoption, after taking in a foster child who had been abandoned as "unadoptable" by the state because of the child's HIV status.[19] The couple wed in California in before Proposition 8 passed in June 2008[20] and remain legally married as one of 18,000 couples still wed after the anti-gay marriage proposition passed.[21]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fight OUT Loud has 5,000 e-mail members, launches website . Fight OUT Loud press release. Miami Herald. 5 September 2012.
  2. C. Pullen, "The Murder of Lawrence King and LGBT Online Stimulations of Narrative Copresence," in C. Pullen and M. Cooper, eds., LGBT Identity and Online New Media (NY: Routledge 2010), 17-36, abstract available online, accessed February 21, 2012
  3. Equality North Carolina: "ENC, Coalition Support Baldwin Amendment," October 17, 2007, accessed February 21, 2012
  4. News: Rothhaus. Steve. Quiet Couple Was Called To Action. 5 September 2012. Miami Herald. September 24, 2007. 6E Tropical Life.
  5. Web site: Waymon's World: Why I Became an Activist: Hate, Bigotry, & Death threats Over the intercom in an Airport.. . Waymon Hudson . 2007-05-01 . 2010-05-05. September 3, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110903101822/http://www.waymonhudson.com/Waymons_World/Why_I_Became_An_Activist.html .
  6. News: Rothaus. Steve. Gay activist Niedwiecki qualifies for Oakland Park Commission race . Miami Herald. January 2009. Niedwiecki may be best known for his vocal opposition to the divisive comments made by Fort Lauderdale ’s mayor, Jim Naugle. As part of Fight OUT Loud, Niedwiecki was one of the main organizers of the unity rally protesting the hateful comments made by Mayor Naugle, and he worked tirelessly behind the scenes with the Broward County Commission to have Naugle stripped of his position on the Tourism Development Council..
  7. News: National Gay Task Force: Censure Naugle. Miami Herald. August 30, 2007.
  8. Web site: Towle. Andy. Gay in South Florida: A Tale of Two City Commissions. 6 September 2007 . Towleroad. 5 September 2012.
  9. Web site: Gay toilet paper protest targets Lauderdale mayor's robo-john comments. Associated Press/Sun-Sentinel. July 9, 2007. 2007-07-09. Alt URL
  10. News: Rothaus. Steve. Fight OUT Loud: Naugle city newsletter comments "spread fear and hate" . Miami Herald. March 2008.
  11. News: Melloy. Killan. Florida Victim of Anti-Gay Beating Appears in Online Video. 5 September 2012. Edge Boston. February 28, 2008.
  12. South Florida Sun Sentinel: Scott Wyman and Tom Stieghorst, "Broward tourism promoters tell Mayor Naugle to stop criticizing gays," August 24, 2007, accessed February 21, 2012
  13. News: Rothaus. Steve. Broward-based Fight OUT Loud announces new board of advisors. 5 September 2012. Miami Herald. April 2008.
  14. News: Rothaus. Steve. Gay activists Hudson, Niedwiecki to continue Fight OUT Loud antidiscrimination group after move to Chicago. 5 September 2012. Miami Herald. April 2010.
  15. News: Amato. Joey. Gay Commish Gets Windy City Gig. 5 September 2012. South Florida Gay News. April 11, 2010.
  16. News: Bryan. Susannah. Free concert at NSU a fundraiser to help combat hate crimes. 5 September 2012. Sun Sentinel. April 6, 2011. 2016-01-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20160131013950/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-04-06/news/fl-nova-hate-crimes-brf-20110404_1_free-concert-crimes-nsu. dead.
  17. Web site: FightOUTLoud.org . FightOUTLoud.org . 2013-12-04.
  18. Spaulding, Pam (August 24, 2007), Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle continues gay-bashing campaign
  19. http://www.gaypolitics.com/2009/03/11/victory-endorsee-anthony-niedwiecki-wins-in-oakland-park-fla/ "Victory endorsee Anthony Niedwiecki wins in Oakland Park, Fla."
  20. News: Like any proud (blog) mama... | The Bilerico Project . Bilerico.com . 2008-06-29 . 2013-11-02 . 2013-11-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131104194403/http://www.bilerico.com/2008/06/like_any_proud_blog_mama.php . dead .
  21. News: California's Prop 8: Limited Edition Married Gays, Still Separate and NOT EQUAL | The Bilerico Project . Bilerico.com . 2009-05-26 . 2013-11-02 . 2013-11-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131104194423/http://www.bilerico.com/2009/05/californias_prop_8_limited_edition_marri.php . dead .

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