Miami Beach Creates ‘Safe Place’ Initiative for LGBTQ Community
We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community.
City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov
OFFICE OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS, Melissa Berthier PRESS RELEASE
Tel: 305.673.7575, E-mail: melissaberthier@miamibeachfl.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 11, 2017
Miami Beach Creates ‘Safe Place’ Initiative for LGBTQ Community
-- Reaffirming the City’s Policies of Nondiscrimination and Inclusion --
Miami Beach, FL – According to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender people are the most likely targets of hate crimes in
America. Committed to protecting its most vulnerable populations, Miami Beach is
launching a “Safe Space” program for business and organizations in the city to
demonstrate their commitment to the safety and equal treatment of its LGBTQ residents
and visitors.
A Miami Beach business or organization desiring to designate itself as a Safe Space
may register with the Miami Beach Police Department and obtain a Safe Space decal to
post as a symbol of safety (image below).
“We hope this program provides members of the LGBTQ community with safe places
throughout Miami Beach that they can turn to if they are the victims of harassment or
crime,” said Commissioner Michael Grieco. “Any individual who seeks solace in a Safe
Space location can be assured that if they are the victim of a crime, police will promptly
be called.”
In order to register as a Safe Space, a business or other organization must agree to the
following terms: post the Safe Space decal outside the front entrance of the
establishment; allow victims of LGBTQ-based harassment or crime to enter and remain
at the establishment until the police arrive; and call or assist LGBTQ victims in calling
911.
“While Miami Beach is certainly one of the most progressive cities in the United States,
the potential for crime and discrimination against LGBTQ residents and visitors still
exists,” added Tony Lima, executive director of SAVE, recognized as South Florida’s
leading organization dedicated to protecting people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender against discrimination. “We applaud the city’s efforts in promoting,
protecting and defending equality for all.”
We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community.
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SAVE (Safeguarding American Values for Everyone) is recognized as South Florida’s leading
organization dedicated to protecting people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
(LGBT) against discrimination. Since 1993, SAVE has advocated for equal rights for persons of
all sexual orientations and gender identities through political advocacy, community outreach and
other activities. Starting with the landmark passage of Miami's Human Rights Ordinance in 1998,
its expansion to protect the transgender community in 2014, and the recent litigation
spearheaded by SAVE which resulted in marriage equality in Florida in January 2015, SAVE
We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community.
continues to lead the fight for LGBT equality. Its mission is to promote, protect and defend
equality for the LGBT community in South Florida and its vision is to have a community where
people who are LGBT have full equality in all facets of life.
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