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In 1977, Miami became the first major urban area in the U.S. to pass an anti-discrimination ordinance, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
The effort was led by Ruth Shack, who went on to transform the Miami Foundation. In response, Florida orange juice spokeswoman Anita Bryant led the efforts to repeal the ordinance.
Although Miami’s anti-discrimination ordinance was repealed six months later, it helped galvanize the LGBT community locally and beyond. The repeal energized a new generation of LGBT community leaders around the world to view sexual orientation as an important political issue worth fighting for.
– Margaret Willard, The 100 Companies