Fight OUT Loud is a non-profit organization in the United States aimed to empower LGBT individuals. Fight OUT Loud was established in 2007.
 | |
| Founded | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Focus | "Fight OUT Loud is a national non-profit organization dedicated to empowering GLBT individuals and their allies to fight discrimination and hate." |
| Location | |
Area served | United States |
| Method | Activism |
| Website | fightoutloud.org |
Overview
editFight 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][2] The organization also works to raise awareness of hate crimes as in the cases of E.O. Green School shooting of Lawrence King.[3] The group also advocates for the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).[4]
History
editFight 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."[5] The couple complained but no action was taken until they alerted local and national media outlets.[6] According to Hudson, the incident became an international news story.[6] According to the group they had over 5,000 members in less than four months of doing their free online action alerts.[2]
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.[5] The group worked with the teens and their mothers, the Portland transit department issued an apology in response to the concerns.[5]
National Recognition
editIn 2007 Fight OUT Loud became a leader in the effort to address Fort Lauderdale, Florida Mayor Jim Naugle's comments about the gay community.[7][8][9][unreliable source?] 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.[10] In a press release and in public rallies they tied his official public statements to violent anti-gay incidents.[11][12] The protests and campaign led to Naugle's removal from Broward County's Tourism Board, and the proposed toilet was eliminated from the budget.[7][13]
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).[14]
In 2010 Hudson and Niedwiecki moved to Chicago and continue to coordinate the group's work from there online.[1][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
editA 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]
References
edit- ^ a b Rothaus, Steve (April 2010). "Gay activists Hudson, Niedwiecki to continue Fight OUT Loud antidiscrimination group after move to Chicago". Miami Herald. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ a b "Fight OUT Loud has 5,000 e-mail members, launches website". Fight OUT Loud press release. Miami Herald. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ 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
- ^ Equality North Carolina: "ENC, Coalition Support Baldwin Amendment," October 17, 2007, accessed February 21, 2012 Archived October 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c Rothhaus, Steve (September 24, 2007). "Quiet Couple Was Called To Action". Miami Herald. p. 6E Tropical Life. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ a b "Waymon's World: Why I Became an Activist: Hate, Bigotry, & Death threats Over the intercom in an Airport." Waymon Hudson. 2007-05-01. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
- ^ a b Rothaus, Steve (January 2009). "Gay activist Niedwiecki qualifies for Oakland Park Commission race". Miami Herald.
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.
- ^ "National Gay Task Force: Censure Naugle". Miami Herald. August 30, 2007.
- ^ Towle, Andy (6 September 2007). "Gay in South Florida: A Tale of Two City Commissions". Towleroad. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "Gay toilet paper protest targets Lauderdale mayor's robo-john comments". Associated Press/Sun-Sentinel. July 9, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-09.[dead link] Alt URL
- ^ Rothaus, Steve (March 2008). "Fight OUT Loud: Naugle city newsletter comments "spread fear and hate"". Miami Herald.
- ^ Melloy, Killan (February 28, 2008). "Florida Victim of Anti-Gay Beating Appears in Online Video". Edge Boston. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ 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
- ^ Rothaus, Steve (April 2008). "Broward-based Fight OUT Loud announces new board of advisors". Miami Herald. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ Amato, Joey (April 11, 2010). "Gay Commish Gets Windy City Gig". South Florida Gay News. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ Bryan, Susannah (April 6, 2011). "Free concert at NSU a fundraiser to help combat hate crimes". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2016-01-31. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "FightOUTLoud.org". FightOUTLoud.org. Retrieved 2013-12-04.
- ^ Spaulding, Pam (August 24, 2007), Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle continues gay-bashing campaign Archived 2009-08-26 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Victory endorsee Anthony Niedwiecki wins in Oakland Park, Fla." Archived 2009-03-17 at the Wayback Machine. gaypolitics.com, March 11, 2009.
- ^ "Like any proud (blog) mama... | The Bilerico Project". Bilerico.com. 2008-06-29. Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
- ^ "California's Prop 8: Limited Edition Married Gays, Still Separate and NOT EQUAL | The Bilerico Project". Bilerico.com. 2009-05-26. Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2013-11-02.