LGBTQ Advisory Board Minutes - 12-12-17
LGBTQ Advisory Committee
Committee Chair, Robin Schwartz
Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Members in attendance: Craig Garmendia (telephone),
Dale Stine, David Lancz, David Leeds, Edison Farrow,
Gayle Durham, Jorge Richa, Michael Bath, Robin Schwartz,
George Neary, Elizabeth Schwartz.
Called to order at 1:04 pm.
Ongoing Business:
A) Approval of Minutes from 11/14/17: George moved, Dale seconded. Approved
unanimously.
B) MBPD Updates: Detective Sanchez was not present.
C) GMCVB Updates
a. Looking for new writers for the gay section of the GMCVB website.
b. GMCVB’s current LGBTQ-focuses social media channels are Facebook and
Twitter, but they will be starting an LGBTQ-specific Instagram account.
c. The annual LGBTQ FAM Trip in 2018 will be for the 25th edition of Winter Party
Festival.
d. GMCVB is working on a new and different photo shoot.
New Business:
A) Follow up on meeting with GMCVB and Hotels
a. Members of the GMCVB met with the Gaythering owners after our last meeting.
b. GMCVB is sending quantitative and qualitative information on the LGBTQ
market to the Gaythering
c. Gaythering is helping produce LGBTQ calendar for tourists. It’s to help guests
know where to go when they come into town. Big party events would be
included.
d. There will be a meeting after the holidays to discuss next steps.
B) The committee will continue to meet on the 2nd Tuesday of the month for now.
C) Community events
a. Holigay Party will be on Thursday night at the Visitor Center.
b. SAGE will hold its annual fundraiser on February10th at the Betsy. Larry Hyer
will be honored.
c. The annual Aqua Foundation family BBQ will be February 11 at Greynolds Park
Subcommittees Reports:
A) Attract LGBTQ Tourism
a. The subcommittee whittled down its eight prospective projects for 2018 to three:
Committee Members
Craig Garmendia
Dale Stine
David Lancz
David Leeds
Edison Farrow
Elizabeth Schwartz
Gayle Durham
Jorge Richa
Mark Wylie
Michael Bath
Robin Schwartz
Stephen Fox, Jr.
George Neary
Heriberto Sosa
i. Conduct an RFP (Request for Proposal) to identify Social Media
Influencers or / and Independent LGBT Ambassadors in different
countries who can “talk up Miami Beach” to their local followers.
ii. Through the Miami Beach Communications department, engage the
LGBT employees of the City of Miami Beach and local residents involved
in a viral campaign to show why they love living in Miami Beach.
iii. Look for ways to increase the “gay” fun options available in the City for
hotels to recommend guests to do thus ensuring a better experience for
them to want to return to Miami Beach.
B) HRC Rating
a. The 2017 project is done. At the swearing in for the new mayor and
commissioners, Mayor Levine mentioned our HRC score.
b. Dale will train someone during 2018 to handle this process in 2019.
c. Dale reached out to all the commissioners. Gongora picked up the anti-bullying
task force and it’s on the agenda for tomorrow’s commission meeting. If passed,
each commissioner and the mayor would have one appointee.
d. The city is working on single occupancy gender neutral bathrooms city-wide.
e. The city has to have a policy or pass an ordinance about city contractors.
f. Dale wants to bring in someone from Care Resource for our January meeting.
Care Resource is moving into a private office on Miami Beach so the city won’t
be providing them waivers. We need to know what the City can provide Care
Resource since many of the criteria for the HRC rating are met by the City’s
relationship with Care Resource.
g. We aren’t sure if the HRC rating goes on any city material.
C) LGBTQ Visibility & Marketing and Social Media
a. Art installation
i. Gayle attended the Arts and Public Places meeting to discuss the art
installation: They said they can’t recommend location or funding – it has
to come to them already approved by commission. W e asked for
$300,000 based on past projects.
ii. We want the installation to be on Lincoln Road.
iii. Arts and Public Places sends out a call to artists. They ask certain artists
to bid on it but open it up to others.
iv. Commissioner Steinberg will carry the flag for this to get it started. Gayle
will inform the committee when the relevant meetings happen.
v. Sign up for notifications in MB resident connect.
b. Crosswalk: Arts and Public Places are nervous about the crosswalks. They said
we have to use FDOT paint.
D) Robin asked for ideas about additional projects this committee could take on. Michael
shared the challenges with finding venues on the beach for large LGBTQ events.
Winter Party is moving two of its nighttime events to Miami because there wasn’t
adequate space available on the beach. The committee may pursue seeing if the
convention center can offer special concessions to keep LGBTQ events on the beach.
Meeting adjourned at 1:45 pm