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Orlando Youth Alliance is an non-profit organization based in Orlando, Florida. The organization was founded in 2007 and provides a safe place for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth in the greater Orlando area. It services youth who are of age 20 and under, and are considered at-risk of their issues at home, school, or other institutions where their sexuality and/or gender identity are discriminated against. OYA is beyond a safe place; it provides counselling, mediation at school and with family, a social space where youth can engage in research, and conversation of their sexual and gender identity. There are currently three locations in Central Florida. Since 2009, OYA have given out scholarships from donations to the organization through individuals and partnered organizations. Volunteers and the OYA board of directors run Orlando Youth. The policy at OYA is to respect one's choice of coming out or not, and keep personal information of the youths private to the organization.

History of LGBT discrimination in Florida
The first known discrimination of LGBT rights in Florida happened in 1868, in which the state of Florida passed their first laws against any act of sodomy, which at this time rendered any same-sex consensual sexual activity as a "crime against nature."

In 1955, Harris J. Kimball, a civil rights attorney, was arrested and charged with lewd acts and conduct after having intercourse with another man. Within a month, The Florida Bar began disbarment procedures, claiming that Kimball had violated state laws which prohibit homosexual sexual relations, and objected to good morals and ethical behaviour. He was officially disbarred in 1957, as the Florida Supreme Court deemed his conduct to be "unprofessional".

In 1956, the Florida Legislature began to "investigate" homosexuality in the state. This investigative committee went undercover as informants, and attended places which they believed that homosexual males and females would be present in. They wanted to lure homosexuals, with committee members hidden away with cameras. Specifically, college homosexual students in Gainesville, Tallahassee, and Tampa were targeted. If a student or faculty member was rumored to be in conduct of homosexual activity, they would be reported to the campus police. After questioning and investigation, the university would dismiss faculty or staff member suspects, and expel student suspects accordingly. By 1963, over 100 faculty members and deans had been removed from various post-secondary Florida academic institutions.

In 1977, Reubin Askew, the Governor of Florida from 1971-1979, signed a bill that would ban same-sex marriage in the state of Florida. This bill also included the ban of homosexuals adopting children. On August 21st, 2014, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Hinkle ruled banning same-sex marriage and blocking same-sex marriages performed in other states to be a violation of the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. The result of this ruling allowed same-sex marriage to be legal in the state of Florida, and was made into court order on January 6th, 2015.

A year after the ban was lifted of same sex-marriage, the state's Department of Health began allowing same-sex spouses to put both their names on a child's birth certificate. The revision of this act came to be after three same-sex couples filed a federal lawsuit, claiming only one parent's name could be on the birth certificate. As of 2016, same-sex spouses conform to the heterosexual orthodoxy of the certificate, with the options listed as "mother", and/or "father".

To combat discrimination against the LGBT community in Florida, Equality Florida was formed in 1997. Governor Jeb Bush took office the following year, and the state's senate went from Democratic to Republican, which put a halt on progressive bills and causes. Equality Florida's define's their objectives on their website as:

""passing local LGBTQ protections at the municipal level, passing a statewide non-discrimination law, passing a statewide anti-bullying law, passing legislation to protect the transgender community, and changing public opinion in the state of Florida regarding LGBT individuals and families.""

The headquarters for this organization operate in Tallahassee, but focus on pro-equality laws all across Florida. Equality Florida promotes themselves as an "advocacy arm" for the LGBT community of Florida.

Until 2003, same-sex sexual activity was illegal in the state of Florida. This was reformed through the case of Lawrence v. Texas, which went to the United States Supreme Court, and disputed that all sodomy laws were "an unconstitutional violation of privacy." The ruling reverses Bowers v. Hardwick, where state's with sodomy laws could punish homosexuals for acting in "deviant sex." The case of Lawrence v. Texas brought national awareness to the discrimination the LGBT community still faced in the United States. The court ruled in elimination of all standing sodomy laws in states which had still held them. As of 2010, Orange County has banned discrimination of sexual-orientation and gender-identity in terms of "employment, housing, and public accommodations". Orange County is the largest local government in the area of Central Florida. The passing of this ordinance had been years of "organizing, lobbying, and education", with much help provided by Orlando Anti-Discrimination Ordinance Committee.

Many well-known Floridians who are a part of the LGBT community still continue to fight against discrimination and laws that impose the safety, comfort, and rights of LGBT residents in Florida. These include but are not limited to:


 * Troy Perry, founder of the Metropolitan Community Church. MCC is a non-denomination Christian church that provides safety and ministry to LGBT communities across the United States. Perry's activism for the community includes the formation of the first annual Pride parade in New York City, which holds the record for being "the oldest gay pride parade in the world". His efforts go national including speaking with several sitting Presidents of the United States, sitting on the front of boards for marriage equality, and continues to preach to all about the oppression that LGBT people still face in today's society.


 * Rodrigo Lehtinen, a Cuban-American, transgender LGBT rights activist. His activism began while attending Brown University, which later drew him to work with grassroot advocate organizations such as the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Gender Justice LA, and as of 2015, a professional fundraiser for GLAAD, which is a LGBT media advocacy organization.


 * Wayne Besen, a gay rights activist, who was formerly a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign. Besen founded Truth Wins Out, as he organized the advocacy group based on his experience of coming out. He felt there was no information readily available for him about his sexuality. The founding of the organization also stems from two other reasons. The first being his parents attempting to use an educational DVD in the mode of conversion therapy, or as Besen terms it, as an "'ex-gay' subliminal tape". The second reason was George W. Bush inviting Alan Chambers, the leader of the Ex-Gay Ministries to the White House, to lobby in favour of banning same-sex marriage.

Founder
Michael Slaymaker has proficient experience in non-profit organizations, with experience of over 25 years in fundraising and administration. He has raised a total of $33 million dollars in fundraising for charities up to 2017. His alma mater includes Rollins College, which awarded him a Masters of Arts in Human Resources. Along with resuming the role of CEO/Executive Chair of OYA, Slaymaker is the Vice President of Grants and Planned Giving for Easterseals Florida. He is also the Chapter Administrator for the Central Florida chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Slaymaker also pushes his efforts for the LGBT community politically, as he is the founder of the Orlando Anti-Discrimination Ordinance Committee (OADO). This bipartisan group of volunteers has helped pass over 16 ordinances and policies to secure protection of Central Florida's residents from discrimination in gender identity, sexuality, and expression. With this organization, the Orlando and Orange County residents have more laws protecting against discrimination compared to any other city or county in Florida.

Executive Board
From January 1st, 2017, to December 31st, 2017

History of Organization
Before the foundation in 2007, the organization ran as Delta Youth Alliance beginning in 1990, and eventually evolved into the Gay and Lesbian Idea eXchange for Youth (GALIXY). Since 2007, a couple chapters of OYA have branched out into other Florida counties, such as Lakeland Youth Alliance in Polk County in 2008, and Seminole Youth Alliance in Seminole County in 2010. OYA is in the process of starting chapters in Osceola and Lake County. The statistics show that teenagers who identify as LGBT are three times more likely to commit suicide compared to their heterosexual pupils. Since the beginning of the organization before 2007, over 1,500 youth have participated in OYA and not one has committed suicide.

On February 1st, 2014, Orlando Youth Alliance and the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network held the first Central Florida Youth Summit, which invited participants of all ages, genders, and sexualities. The keynote speaker Patty Sheehan, who became the first openly gay elected official in Central Florida, also helped put together the event. In her address, Sheehan states: “We’re here to offer hope and to tell you that you are not alone; you all made history by being here today.” Another keynote speaker included Joe Saunders, a Florida State representative who was elected in 2012, and one of the first openly gay Florida House members. Workshops addressed issues of bullying, safe uses of the Internet, the transgender community, and establishing gay-straight alliances in county-area schools. Officer Karen Long from the Orlando Police Department spoke to the attendees of bullying and safety in school for LGBT youth. The workshops were targeted to parents and family members as well as the youth. Brigid Noonan, a professor from Stetson University, who leads the workshops, says "It’s really important to think about how scary it is to come out."

Every year during the spring, OYA hosts the fundraising event Babes in Bonnets, to raise money for the organization. The event was created by George Timothy Reed, who also through drag goes by Carmella Marcell Garcia. The evening is hosted by entertainers Darcel Stevens and Blue Star at the Parliament House, a LGBT club and hotel. The fundraisers allows those in attendance to bid on a variety of made bonnets that have been provided by local businesses. At the 2017 Babes in Bonnets, the event reached a record high of $28,000 in fundraising. Darcel Stevens commented on this with, “These few words of thanks can’t express the overwhelming gratitude and respect I have for all involved.”

Support
OYA offers weekly peer-to-peer support groups to help solve problems and create open discussions of topics that concern the youth, such as family, friends, school, etc. The organization has also held guest speakers to come speak to the youth of issues in career development, HIV and STD's, bullying, etc.

Education
The organization holds LGBT History and Culture classes for the members of OYA, as well as straight allies who want to know more about the LGBT community and history. These classes happen once a month during the school terms, and like any other educational institution, require students to complete homework in a set amount of time. OYA prides itself in offering these classes, as schools do not teach youth of LGBT history and culture, that is imperative to help form their identity and learn positive values.

Social
Youth can meet each other in a comfortable and safe environment to create friendships and support networks. OYA hosts numerous events for its members, such as car washes, movie nights, dances, theme park outings, cultural events, etc., to help develop mentorship, friendship, and interest in LGBT culture.

Scholarship
In 2016, OYA awarded over $7,000 to over five youth who a part of the organization. The OYA received its donations from philanthropists Bill Neighbors, Tim Warzecha, as well as the Walt Disney Foundation. Orlando Youth Alliance partners with Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) to offer grants to gay-straight alliances in middle and high schools in Orange and surrounding counties. In 2017, Orlando Youth awarded over $14,000 in scholarships to members, doubling the amount given out the previous year.

Shooting
On June 12, 2016, a mass shooting by Omar Mateen killed 49 people and injured 58 at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. At 2:02 AM, Mateen made way into the club with his AR-15 semi-automatic assault weapon, and began rapidly opened fire. This assault weapon was the same of other notable mass shootings in the United States, including Aurora, Sandy Hook School, and San Bernadino. By the time the shooting was over, it was noted as the deadliest massacre with use of an assault weapon in American history. One out of every three attendees that night were wounded or killed. Around three hours after the massacre, a dauntless rescue operation by Orlando Police concurred, which who freed a sum of 15-25 attendees, before confronting the shooter, whom they shot to death. A former dancer at the club, Benjamin Di’Costa, comments on the club as "...like a family. Everybody who works there is treated equally. Treated like brothers and sisters. When somebody is hurting or in need, we always look out for each other." In regards to the victims, Di'Costa states "Saturdays are Latin nights, so it’s primarily Latinos of all ages.” Ray Rivera, who was the club's DJ that night, thought "it was firecrackers." The gunfire continuously happened, and people began dropping to the ground, either in fear, or due to being wounded or killed. Rivera recounts his view of the club of the night, "I saw bodies on the floor, people on the floor everywhere. It was a chaos, everybody trying to get out.” Joel Figueroa, at the time 19, who went to the club with his friend Stanley, tells The New York Times his account of the shooting, "The only thing I could think of was to duck...there was Stanley, on the floor." Figueroa's friend was shot three times by Mateen, and managed to get outside of the club with blood pouring out and a huge gash on his arm.

Aftermath
The following day, a press conference was held, in which Mayor Buddy Dyer stated that Orlando was under a "state of emergency." His statement includes a claim that authorities have determined that the shooting was a hate crime done by a "lone wolf." Mateen, who was born in the United States, had no prior convictions, according to sources. Further investigation of Mateen has been found of accounts of domestic violence against his previous wife, voicing his hatred among minorities, including LGBT communities, and Jewish people. With the release of the victim's list, it indicates that majority of the victims were either gay, Hispanic, or both. His father, Seddique Mir Mateen, had previously witnessed his son's hatred of homosexuality, as Mateen recounts a time where Omar had seen a same-sex couple kiss in from of him, and began to be enraged of the situation. Daniel Gilroy, a former co-worker of Mateen's, also attests to knowing of his violent, misogynistic, racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic behaviour. He told the New York Times, "He [Mateen] would talk about killing people all the time." Gilroy furthers his statement with regret, saying "“I kind of feel a little guilty that I didn’t fight harder. If I didn’t walk away and I fought, then maybe 50 people would still be alive today.”

That same day, Orlando residents on Facebook were sent a notification asking users to "check in," and reassure their Facebook friends and followers that they were safe and unharmed from the shooting. This marked the first time the Facebook application had ever been used in the United States, as they had been previously used in the Paris terrorist attacks in November of 2015 and the Alberta, Canada wildfire in April of 2016. A spokesperson from Facebook commented on the use of the self-check, "Following the community-generated Safety Check activation this morning in Orlando, we have now activated Facebook-initiated Safety Check for a mass shooting at a nightclub there. We hope the people in the area find the tool a helpful way to let their friends and family know they are okay."

The LGBT community around the world mourned for those affected by the attack on June 12th, 2016. The massacre happened to occur during Pride Month, a month-long celebration which honours the Stonewall Riots and the gay rights movement around the world. This shooting led police across the nation to increase security at many Pride events, as well as any American LGBT landmarks such as the Stonewall Inn. Hannah Willard from Equality Florida spoke with National Public Radio about the emotions and outcry from the mass murder shooting at Pulse:

""This is a person who at the beginning of LGBT Pride Month ... took open fire on a gay nightclub at maximum capacity. In the midst of our grief, we are more deeply resolved than ever to uproot homophobia and animosity towards gay and transgender people, wherever it exists.""

From that Sunday onward, many vigils in the Greater Orlando Area, as well as the United States and worldwide, were held to mourn the victims. David Mariner, the executive director of the DC Center for the LGBT Community, spoke about the relations of Pride month and the community, ""Pride has always been about celebration, but it's also about community. And I can't imagine a day when our community needs to be together more than this day."

The tragedy sparked a social networking movement to object to the hate crime, with hashtags #LoveIsLove and #PrayforOrlando. As Pulse is the only gay club in the Orlando area that admits over 18's, many youth had attended that night to be able to express themselves and their sexuality in a safe space. Many of these youth had left prior to the arrival of Mateen at Pulse. At Orlando Youth Alliance meetings, CEO Michael Slaymaker brings up the conversation of the shooting at least once a month as not only a remembrance to those who were killed, but as a way to deal with what happened and how these youths were affected.