Equality and Civil Rights

Kendrick has been a fearless crusader for justice, equality and civil rights. In 1998, then-state Rep. Kendrick Meek and state Sen. Betty Holzendorf led the effort in the Legislature to compensate Freddie Pitts and Wilbert Lee, two black men convicted of crimes they never committed. Pitts and Lee were wrongfully sentenced to death and later pardoned by Gov. Reubin Askew in 1975. "If we can stop perpetrating the injustice that has been heaped upon Pitts and Lee, we should," Kendrick said at the time. “This is not a question of guilt, this is an issue of compensation.”

Women

Throughout his life, Kendrick Meek's character was shaped in large part by his mother, retired Congresswoman Carrie Meek and his two sisters, Lucia and Sheila. All are strong, independent and successful professional women and mothers who instilled in Kendrick a deep and profound understanding of gender equality. Kendrick supports a woman’s right to choose, and after he wins the nomination, he will be the only pro-choice candidate in the race. He also supports efforts to reduce the need for abortion by supporting efforts to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. He has a 100% rating and is endorsed by Planned Parenthood.

Kendrick was a strong supporter of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which ensures equal pay for equal work regardless of age, race, gender, religion or national origin. President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law in January 2009, one of his first acts as president. In December 2009, Kendrick received the endorsement of NARAL.

LGBT

There is no candidate in the Florida Senate race that has a track record in support of LGBT civil rights as clear and consistent as Kendrick Meek. Kendrick has always been a fierce defender of the rights of LGBT Americans, and he has opposed efforts to pass a Constitutional Amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage.

Kendrick supports gays serving openly in the military and is the only candidate that has supported the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell since day one. He also supports hate crime prevention, employment nondiscrimination, and partner benefits. There is no reason why any American should be denied hospital visits or inheritance rights or tax benefits based on their sexual orientation. 

Florida’s adoption ban for LGBT citizens is wrong and our state is behind the rest of the county. The policy blatantly discriminates against a segment of our state's citizens. At this moment, thousands of children in our state are waiting to be adopted and placed in loving and safe homes. The theory that LGBT parents cannot responsibly raise a child is baseless. Kendrick believes that potential adoptive parents should be evaluated on their capacity to love and raise a child, not on their sexual orientation.

Kendrick is endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). The HRC represents a grassroots force of more than 700,000 members and supporters nationwide, and is the largest national gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender civil rights organization in the country. Kendrick also has the endorsement of the Stonewall Democrats. In 2007, Kendrick received an award from the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund for his “courageous leadership on behalf of equality for all Americans,” and in February he joined leaders of the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus at their Winter Conference.

In 2008, Kendrick was an active supporter of the Say No to Amendment 2 Initiative (the Florida Red to Blue Campaign). This was an effort to fight a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Florida that defined marriage as between only one man and one woman and banned the creation of similar unions, such as civil unions.