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The Center
A decade after Osceola County and its respective cities began putting ordinances in place that protect the rights of LGBTQ residents, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled this summer to expand protections to employment discrimination.
The 6-3 decision, which was recently announced, ruled federal anti-bias laws includes the country’s gay, lesbian and transgendered workers.
“It was an unexpected victory but an absolute milestone for the LGBTQ community,” Tommi Pritchett, development director and Kissimmee program manager at The LGBTQ+ Center said. “More than half of the country [previously] lacked protections.”
The ruling now protects workers across all 50 states, including Florida, which was one of 25 states whose laws did not offer explicit protections for discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Center has been open for nearly 40 years and provides HIV and hepatitis C testing and offers counseling, support groups and other resources catered to the gay, lesbian and transgender communities.
Pritchett, who works at the Monument Street location, helps connect clients with local attorneys and organizations such as the Central Florida Gay and Lesbian Law Association for their clients’ unique needs.
While Pritchett couldn’t provide an exact statistic as to how many clients come to The Center with stories about employment discrimination, she said it was a common complaint.
She detailed the story of a transgendered woman who worked at a local convenience store who was the only employee not transferred to another store when the location she worked at closed.
“The folks that tend to be discriminated against the most are our transgendered folks,” Pritchett said, adding that much of the southern half of the country tends to hold to conservative views. “Orlando is a pretty purple area. We’re making strides but it’s slow.”
County Commissioner Cheryl Grieb has worked to insure Osceola and its cities have been on the forefront to safeguard its LGBTQ citizens.
“Treating all people with fairness and respect has always been the right decision,” Grieb said. “The Supreme Court case now gives protections to those who were not treated fairly and with respect in regards to the workplace.”
Grieb was the first openly gay elected official in Osceola County when she was elected to the Kissimmee City Commission in 2010. She pushed for the city to pass rights for domestic partners of all sexual orientations to insure unmarried couples could share healthcare benefits. This was prior to the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that allowed for same-sex marriage.
Grieb now serves the county in commission district 4, where she successfully worked with her fellow commissioners on the Human Rights ordinance which protects citizens in areas such as housing or in the workforce against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
While Grieb considers herself fortunate compared to some others in the LGBTQ community, she wants to continue to help uplift future generations.
Identifying as part of the LGBTQ community “is becoming more accepted for kids growing up now; it doesn’t carry the same stigma as when I was growing up,” Grieb said. “But I’ve still known people who have been discriminated against.”
