Rick Kriseman Receives Endorsements of LGBT Groups

St. Petersburg candidate for mayor, Rick Kriseman, has been endorsed by the LGBT groups Equality Florida and the Stonewall Democrats.

“I am proud to have the support of the LGBT community,” Kriseman said in a statement. “As mayor, I will ensure that St. Petersburg remains a city that values and celebrates diversity.”

In the Florida House of Representatives, Kriseman filed a bill urging President Barack Obama to end 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'

"It’s past time to end the failed policy of ’Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ There are nearly eighty thousand gay or lesbian veterans who live in Florida. Brave men and women who served honorably, but also in fear. They deserved better, and today’s service members deserve better. I urge our leaders in Washington, D.C., to move quickly in repealing this terribly ineffective law," said Rep. Kriseman.

Kriseman has served as the Grand Marshall in the St. Pete Pride parade and has sponsored legislation to ban discrimination against sexual orientation or gender identity in the Florida workplace. Kriseman has a stronger record on LGBT issues than most members of his party.