By Waymon Hudson
Cross-Posted on Bilerico-Florida

There are dark clouds on the horizon of the battleground state of Florida. New laws and tales of voter suppression efforts already have many voters nervous and confused. Florida, which was recently named “the most hostile state in the nation to new voters” by three national voting-rights groups, has significantly tightened voter identification laws and made it easier for voter’s rights to be challenged.

Two news laws passed by the Republican controlled legislature have many Democrats already crying foul. The first is the so-called “No match, no vote” law, which requires a match between a voter’s driver’s license or Social Security number and a government database- records which many say are full of errors. A second law allows citizens to challenge the legitimacy of fellow voters without proving their accusations. Instead, the challenged voter has two days to “justify his right to cast a ballot.”

Add this to a concerted effort to confuse many voters about their registration, as well as spread dangerous misinformation about the new laws, and there is a disaster brewing in Florida.

Much more, including a mailer sent out by McCain to democratic voters, after the jump…

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By Waymon Hudson
Cross-posted at Bilerico - Florida

The family of Ryan Skipper, a 25-year-old gay man from Winter Haven, Florida who was killed last year in a brutal hate crime, is speaking out and fighting for change. Skipper was found stabbed to death on March 15, 2007. He had been stabbed twenty times and his body was dumped by the side of the road. His killers drove around in his blood-soaked car, bragging how they had killed a gay man. The murders- William David Brown Jr., 20, and Joseph Bearden, 21- were charged with first-degree murder and will be going on trial separately in October 2008 and Feb 2009. You can find out more about the horrific crime in the amazing documentary ACCESSORY TO MURDER: Our Culture’s Complicity in the Death of Ryan Skipper (view the film’s trailer after the jump)

The family of Ryan Skipper has become outspoken advocates for stronger federal hate crimes legislation, as well as traveling the country to speak on the need for acceptance of LGBT people. They have been active in lobbying for the Matthew Shepard Act, which seeks to add sexual orientation and gender identity to existing federal hate crime laws. The law currently includes only race, religion, ethnicity and nationality.

Their work for stronger hate crimes legislation has also brought them into the fight for the next President of the United States. They have become vocal supporters of Barack Obama, in large part because of his stated commitment to passing hate crimes laws.

Watch the video from Ryan’s brother and much more after the jump…

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By Waymon Hudson
Cross-posted at Bilerico - Florida

We all know from past disappointments that Florida can be an important factor in national politics. Everyone in the country is familiar with hanging chads, Teri Schiavo, and other issues that have catapulted the Sunshine State into the national spotlight. We’ve also seen the impact of Florida when it comes to LGBT issues- things like Anita Bryant, Mayor Naugle, adoption bans, and many other setbacks. But this year Florida has the chance to make a huge difference in both the Presidential race and the arena of LGBT rights.

The LGBT community in Florida is flexing its political muscle like never before this election cycle. Strong GLBT democratic groups like the Dolphin Democrats of Broward County in South Florida and the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus are organizing huge “Get Out The Vote” efforts for both Barack Obama and the fight against Amendment 2, the dangerous “Marriage Protection Amendment” that would not only ban same-sex marriage but also repeal domestic partnership registries with its vague, broad language.

Both efforts are leading to what many are predicting to be a record-breaking turnout in November.

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