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West Palm Beach: A Home For LGBTQ+ Equality · Inside West Palm Beach

• 0:09
  Welcome to the City Center podcast from West Palm Beach,
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  Florida.
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  I'm Jerry Marcelo.
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  The profile and personality of the city is defined by the people who live there.
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  No matter where a city may be,
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  the unique makeup of that community is shaped and colored by the people who call it home.
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  West Palm Beach has been a community that takes pride in its diversity,
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  welcoming new residents from every background,
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  creed and culture.
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  The LGBT Q plus community is no exception for more than two decades,
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  West Palm Beach has been at the forefront of LGBT Q Plus equality.
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  Thanks to the leadership of local government,
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  the road has been long and the journey is far from over.
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  There's more work to be done.
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  Joining me to talk about it is Melissa Anderson,
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  senior assistant city attorney for the city of West Palm Beach and the city's LGBT Q plus liaison.
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  Melissa.
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  Welcome.
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  Thank you,
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  West Palm Beach's relationship to the LGBT Q plus community is a long one.
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  Can you give us some idea of how active the city has been reaching back nearly three decades?
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  Sure.
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  Um Just to give you a little perspective,
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  I'm 59 and I came out when I was about 17.
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  And um the local government,
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  local governments have always been important in the LGBT Q Plus movement um especially in Florida,
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  going back some 30 odd years.
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  And West Palm Beach has always been a part of that movement and has always been very supportive of the LGBT Q Plus movement.
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  Um West Palm Beach is in the category with Miami Beach,
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  Fort Lauderdale,
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  Key West.
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  Uh In the 19 seventies when the gay community really started to fight for its rights uh down in Miami Beach,
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  in particular,
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  uh the city at that time was fighting for an equal rights ordinance.
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  And that sort of uh spurred the whole 19 seventies Anita Bryant movement.
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  And after that uh movement,
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  local governments in Florida became very uh very much became an advocate for the LGBT Q Plus community and West Palm Beach was one of those cities.
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  And uh uh they have been a supporter of LGBT Q Plus rights in many,
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  many different ways.
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  In 1992 West Palm Beach became the first employer in Florida to provide domestic partnership benefits.
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  In 1994 West Palm Beach enacted an equal opportunity ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.
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  And the list goes on and on.
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  And more recently,
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  um In 2023 the mayor announced and recognized gay Pride Month in June presented a proclamation to Compass,
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  which is one of our local gay groups based in Lake Worth Beach.
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  And this year in my role as LGBT Q plus liaison,
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  I'm helping to coordinate pride on the block which will either be in June or October.
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  Uh We haven't figured it out yet,
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  but I'm helping to coordinate that with transpire,
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  which is an LGBT Q plus uh organization which supports the uh which supports sobriety in the gay community.
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  Right.
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  So the city has been sort of on the forefront and have been very,
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  very aggressive as,
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  as far as promoting uh rights and opportunities for this community.
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  It has,
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  I think that that West Palm Beach has always recognized that the LGBT Q plus community is an important uh part of the greater West Palm Beach community.
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  The city has always gone out of their way to support the community.
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  They were one of the first communities to fly the pride flag full time.
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  We have a member of our police department,
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  Lieutenant Emily Wiggs,
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  who is uh the liaison for the police department to the community.
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  Last year,
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  we've always had um a more general LGBT Q plus liaison for the city.
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  And last year I took over that role so that I could help the mayor sort through all the various issues um that LGBT Q plus folks are facing in Florida today,
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  which are,
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  are a lot.
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  And uh I was personally very grateful for the opportunity to do that.
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  And I know the community is,
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  is grateful for local governments like West Palm Beach where they feel at home and safe and celebrated and valued as,
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  as people and human beings.
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  We're,
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  we're here to talk about West Palm Beach but in,
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  in,
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  in a larger scope,
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  how do we measure up?
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  How does the county do?
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  Is it,
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  is the county as,
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  as,
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  as it,
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  as far along as West Palm Beach is,
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  or,
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  I think,
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  uh,
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  South Florida in general is a fairly uh good place for LGBT Q plus folks,
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  West Palm Beach is,
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  is great.
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  It's not only is it a beautiful place to live?
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  I live here.
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  I work for the city as a senior assistant city attorney,
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  but I also am a resident of West Palm Beach.
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  I own a home in Northwood Hills which is a,
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  a burgeoning neighborhood.
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  It's a great old historic neighborhood.
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  Uh And while Palm Beach County has done very well,
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  recognizing and protecting the my community,
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  I think West Palm Beach really um just by flying the pride flag out there,
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  you know,
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  every day.
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  That means something,
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  especially in the environment that we find ourselves.
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  We being the LGBT Q plus community we find ourselves in today.
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  It's so important to have politicians like mayor James at the local level standing up and saying you're important to us,
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  you matter and we're gonna support you.
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  Sure.
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  So local,
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  local uh go how,
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  how important is it really is?
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  It is so important.
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  I mean,
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  in the 19 seventies.
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  Uh during the,
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  you know,
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  the initial the beginning of the gay rights movement,
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  again,
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  it was local governments who came to the forefront.
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  It was West Palm Beach,
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  it was Fort Lauderdale,
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  it was Key West,
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  it was Miami Beach,
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  all who initially uh each of those municipalities initially because they had a large and important LGBT Q plus community wanted to support those communities.
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  And that's really where a lot of the gay rights movement started.
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  And in Florida,
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  certainly it started in South Florida and continues here.
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  Um And I have,
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  I have never felt discriminated against in Palm Beach County,
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  certainly not in the city of West Palm Beach.
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  And I can tell you um that,
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  uh and rarely in South Florida.
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  Uh Although it's been a very,
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  it's been a,
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  been a very stressful time.
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  Um certainly,
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  um as a member of the LGBT Q plus community um to be living in Florida and,
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  and seeing what's happened here with some of the adversity that we're seeing at both state and other levels.
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  Uh Have you seen any kind of a shift here in West Palm Beach?
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  Is there positive or negative?
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  I think there.
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  I think that the LGBT Q plus community has sort of woken up,
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  you know,
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  we,
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  we made a lot of big strides in 30 years.
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  I think that we as a city have been very careful to pay attention to,
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  to new laws which have gone into effect,
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  which has been hard for us to struggle with and,
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  and on many different fronts.
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  Um,
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  but I've also seen West Palm Beach in Palm Beach County and the rest of the cities in South Florida really rally to support the LGBT Q plus community and that,
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  that in and of itself.
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  Well,
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  while watching what's happened on a statewide level has been really depressing.
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  It's been encouraging to feel the support of the city of West Palm Beach of the City Commission of West Palm Beach of the mayor of West Palm Beach.
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  And um and it's valuable,
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  it's really valuable.
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  You,
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  you are the liaison for the city.
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  What does that involve?
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  What can people residents do to reach out to you?
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  Uh Residents can reach out to me um on my city uh at my city email which is M as in Melissa Anderson.
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  So it's Manderson at W pb.org.
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  They can give me a call on my city cell phone which is 5613109261.
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  They can also,
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  if they have police related questions,
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  they can reach out to Lieutenant Wiggs at the police department.
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  Her email is E wigs Wiggs at W pb.org.
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  Um And uh there's so much happening,
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  I'm so excited that um one of the things that the city did,
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  I wanted to remember to tell you while I was here today.
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  Uh It was in nine,
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  it was in 20 April 5th of 2021 that the city recognized roosters,
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  which was an,
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  which is a gay bar,
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  which was here for years,
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  had an incident where there was a fire and they're,
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  they're rebuilding with the encouragement of the city.
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  And I wanted to make sure to mention that um just as an example of one of the things the city has done to support the LGBT Q plus community,
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  they're helping roosters get reestablished and that is so important,
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  you know,
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  a sense of history in our community.
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  Yeah.
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  You know,
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  and I think that's something that is becoming a,
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  a more vital component,
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  not only here in West Palm Beach and,
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  but in other communities where now there's a track record,
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  there's a history and we're celebrating that history.
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  We're celebrating the,
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  the milestones and the,
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  the,
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  the victories that were part of this.
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  And I think that uh what you're describing happening here in West Palm Beach is,
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  is indicative of that kind of looking back and,
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  and,
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  and feeling accomplishment historically.
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  Yeah,
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  I mean,
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  it's,
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  it's uh i it's scary to say at 59 that I'm looking back and that there's history behind me,
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  but it's true.
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  Uh You know,
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  I remember when I was 17,
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  uh how would have frightened and lost in the kid?
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  I was um in the LGBT Q plus community and it's because of,
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  of cities like West Palm Beach and leaders,
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  uh you know,
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  leaders on the City Commission leaders in the mayor's role.
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  Um It's because of people like that who um have a positive influence and rec recognize our community um that um folks feel safe and wanna come here and visit and move here and spend time here as liaison.
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  What sort of feedback?
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  What sort of questions do you get?
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  I get everything from uh hey,
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  would uh gay and uh trans folks be interested in this kind of insurance which I pass on to a hr but I also get um a lot of questions from the mayor's office on,
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  you know,
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  what do you think about this bill in?
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  Because I'm an attorney.
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  What do you think about this bill?
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  Um How is it gonna affect the community,
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  how we enforce it?
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  And also,
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  um will you please reach out to your,
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  your community and help us organize and help us find out uh what the community thinks about the various issues which are um presented to us as,
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  as a city.
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  You mentioned pride on the block earlier.
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  Tell me a little bit more about that.
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  So,
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  pride on the block is a great event.
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  As I mentioned,
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  it is uh the organization Transpire,
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  which is a group which has uh sober homes here in the city.
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  Um has a fundraiser every year.
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  It's uh compass,
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  which is a uh gay organization which is uh headquartered in Lake Worth Beach,
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  has the official pride celebration in March of every year.
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  But uh transpire,
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  which is located in West Palm Beach has pride on the block every year and they have that in the city of West Palm Beach.
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  And um,
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  they are tentatively planning on do it doing it for June.
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  And it would be in the 500 block between Quadrille and Rosemary.
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  But they're also considering moving it to October and maybe having another type of fundraiser in June.
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  So we're very excited to work with them.
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  It's always a great event.
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  It was a great event.
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  Last year,
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  we had people come from all over the country and we want to help them recreate this,
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  that this year and help,
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  um,
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  you know,
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  and,
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  and support that fabulous organization which is actually housed right in our downtown Palm Beach.
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  If you talk to anyone who's involved in the tourist industry,
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  they'll often tell you that the LGBT Q Plus uh uh community is an important part of the folks who come to visit here in West Palm Beach.
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  What message would you send to folks who are thinking about coming to South Florida or trying to decide about,
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  do I go to Lauderdale or do I go to West Palm?
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  What would you get?
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  What kind of message would you send them about our city?
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  Well,
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  um it's been a tough three or four years for the LGBT Q Plus community here in Florida.
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  Um And I've heard many of my friends who don't live in Florida not have a lot of good things to say about Florida and I understand that however,
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  I will say that what you can do to support your uh,
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  community in Florida is to come visit us and to show who you are,
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  come visit West Palm Beach,
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  show your loyalty to communities that are going to show their loyalty to you.
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  It,
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  West Palm Beach has got to be one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.
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  Um,
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  I'm a little,
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  um,
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  I prejudice,
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  I guess because I'm a Florida native,
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  but it really is a beautiful community uh with,
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  and it's such,
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  it's such great fun to be here.
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  And,
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  uh,
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  you will be a appreciated,
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  we want you to come visit and I don't know,
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  maybe,
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  maybe you'll even move here.
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  Who knows?
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  Speaking about moving here,
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  obviously,
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  we have an opportunity to talk to our residents about,
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  about this.
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  What message do you have folks who are already here?
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  What would you tell them?
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  Well,
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  there's so many great things going on here.
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  I live in the neighborhood of Northwood Hills,
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  which as I said is sort of uh our burgeoning neighborhood and I know that the city of West Palm Beach has a rainbow uh pride uh Rainbow Walk in Northwood.
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  And we're actually,
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  um going to be put making that a permanent installation this year.
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  We're gonna be replacing the bricks there.
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  Uh And,
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  um,
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  you know,
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  look to your local government as a source of support and uh and please utilize everything that we have as a city uh for you to use as a resource,
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  whether you're straight gay.
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  I mean,
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  it's such a wonderful place to live and,
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  and uh and to be and to visit.
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  Um truly,
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  it,
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  it's uh uh we,
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  we would love to have you come hang out with us here in West Palm Beach or move here and give yourself a raise.
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  We don't have a,
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  we have no income tax here.
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  You know,
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  if you're getting ready,
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  if you're,
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  if you're getting older and you're like me and getting ready to retire,
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  move here,
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  you give yourself a raise.
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  There you go.
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  I mean,
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  you,
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  you,
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  you hit all the buttons and you know,
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  all the check marks are marked on that one.
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  Well done,
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  well done.
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  Once again,
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  you mentioned earlier how folks can get in touch with you as the city liaison?
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  Let's go over that again.
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  Sure.
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  My email is M as in Melissa Anderson.
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  So it's Manderson at W pb.org and my phone number,
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  my cell phone is 5613109261.
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  Melissa Anderson.
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  Thank you so much for everything you do for the city of West Palm Beach.
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  Thank you and thank you at home for listening to this podcast direct from City Hall in West Palm Beach,
• 17:08
  Florida.
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  We hope you enjoyed our conversation today.
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  And if you did,
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  please subscribe and tell your friends that,
• 17:15
  you know,
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  we're here.
• 17:16
  We also want to hear from you.
• 17:17
  Let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about.
• 17:20
  Drop us a note at podcast at W pb.org.
• 17:26
  The City Center podcast is a production of the City of West Palm Beach Communications Department.
• 17:30
  I'm Jerry Marcelo.
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  We'll see you next time.