While there, he convinced the
Commission to provide domestic
partner healthcare benefits to
city employees. Most recently,
he completed six years on the board
for Equality Florida—the state’s
largest civil rights organization
dedicated to securing full equality
for Florida’s LGBTQ community.
During his tenure, Sarasota became
the third largest fundraising city for
the organization.
“The money is here,” Shelin
muses, “but certainly the real
reason is because this is actually a
very tolerant community.” He calls
Sarasota a city of inclusiveness, full
of those who are both accepting of
new ideas and innovative in their
approach to tolerance.
“The city itself attracts very
experienced, educated people,”
Shelin continues, people who “have
a tendency to be understanding
of the needs and benefits for
tolerance and inclusion. They
understand that it creates an
innovative community; that it
creates a creative community.”
Shelin says that the city’s
support of the LGBTQ community
is incredible. In the early 2000s,
Sarasota adopted an amendment
to the city charter banning
discrimination in housing,
employment and public
accommodations. “And then three
years ago I went to the commission
and asked them to add gender
identity and expression,” he recalls.
“It’s so easy to do things like that
here because there’s such broad and
deep support for these kinds of laws.
“We don’t get into arguments
here,” he says. “We don’t have
the kinds of fights that Miami
or Jacksonville have had, or
that Tampa’s Hillsborough
County has had in the past about
nondiscrimination laws.”
Sarasota is physically
beautiful as well, he notes,
pointing toward its breathtaking
waterfront. “Life here is what
you dream about. When I first
moved here, it matched what I
had in my mind as that beautiful
place that I wanted to live … and
then my partner and I bought a
house here. We found that the
people were wonderful as well;
they were engaging and open.
We’ve had a very active social life
with all of our neighbors.
“We’re included,” Shelin
says. “We’re not segregated;
we’re not kept apart from
the rest of the community.
That’s what you can be in
Sarasota, an active part of
the community.”
ABOVE TOP
LIDO LOVE:
Lido Key in Sarasota,
which includes North
Lido, Lido Beach and
South Lido, received
its name when John
Ringling referred to its
three beaches by the
Italian word "lido," which
means "beach."
PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD
ABOVE BOTTOM
DREAMERS:
"Olympic Wannabees,"
a statue of fi ve children
at play, was placed at
The Bayfront Park in
Sarasota in 2003.
PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD
EQUALITY CHAMP:
Sarasota resident
Ken Shelin served
six years on Equality
Florida's board. He
calls Sarasota a city of
inclusiveness.
PHOTO COURTESY
OF KEN SHELIN
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