Way back in 2007, I received an email from a law professor in Florida, Anthony Niedwiecki, who was with his partner (and now friend of the Blend Waymon Hudson) in the Fort Lauderdale airport when a moron hijacked the PA system and started spouting a homophobic rant. It became a big brouhaha in the media, with the Leviticus 20:13-quoting culprit eventually caught. He turned out to be an aircraft services employee, and he received a pink slip for his extracurricular homobigoted activities. That spurred Waymon and Anthony into LGBT activism, jumping into the Jim “Robopotty” Naugle fray, as well as providing leadership in the Amendment 2 battle.

Anthony Niedwiecki has tossed his hat into the political ring to run for a seat on the Oakland Park City Commission (the candidate who receives the most votes will serve as mayor), and he has just received the endorsement of the Victory Fund.

“Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender leaders – on the floors of state legislatures, in the chambers of city councils, and in the Congress of the United States – are our clearest and most convincing champions for true equality.  When we elect an LGBT candidate to office, we put them in a position to change hearts and minds, and the law,” said the Victory Fund.

“I have always fought for the equality of all people.  I have seen firsthand both the damage and the good political leaders can do at every level of government.  We must have leaders that not only solve the everyday issues facing our cities, like the failing economy and plunging home prices, but also create an atmosphere of respect and equality that all people can thrive in,” said Niedwiecki.

Oakland Park, part of the Greater Fort Lauderdale region, has one of the highest numbers of same-sex couples in the state, and under the strong leadership of Anthony Niedwiecki, hopes to continue to be a leader in progressive politics that make the city so welcoming to all residents.  

Anthony has also been endorsed by a large and diverse number of other organizations, including the AFL-CIO, the American Black Caucus, Metro Broward Firefighters Local 3080, Florida Professional Firefighters, the Realtor’s Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale, Florida Carpenter’s Regional Council PAC, and Equality Florida Action PAC.  Anthony plans to use this diverse coalition to lead Oakland Park and the entire South Florida region through the challenging times ahead.

I’ve also heard that the folks at Rev James Kennedy’s old church, Coral Ridge Ministries, is trying to ratchet up anti-gay sentiment down there among the parishioners, so outreach and turnout will be key.

It’s now the home stretch; voters go to the polls on March 10. So if you can, click over to donate to Anthony’s campaign at his site.