Ruth Shack
Encyclopedia
Ruth Shack was the sponsor of the 1977 Human Rights Ordinance in Miami-Dade County, Florida
.
Shack was elected to the Metro-Dade County Commission (now known as the Miami-Dade County Commission) in 1976, 1978 and 1982. After leaving the Commission she became the President and CEO of one of the largest philanthropic organizations in Florida, the Dade Community Foundation (now The Miami Foundation). She retired in 2009.
in 1970 with a major in English and a minor in Journalism/Communications. In 1975, she received a Master of Arts in Social Science with specialization in Urban Sociology from the University of Colorado
. She taught sociology and political science at Florida International University
. In 1985 and 1986, she hosted a four-hour talk show on WNWS each Saturday afternoon.
Her philanthropic activities are international, national, and locally based. She has served as Vice Chair of the Council on Coundations and Chair of its Management Committee, on the Board of the Community Foundations for Youth and the Board of Funders Concerned about AIDS. She is a member of the Bertelsmann Foundations' Transatlantic Community Foundation Network and was Chair of the Communications Network. She is currently Founder-Chair of the Florida Philanthropic Network and Founder-Chair of the Alliance for Human Services.
On January 27, 2009, Ruth Shack announced that she would step down from her post as President of Dade Community Foundation by the end of the year.
In 1977, Shack as a member of the Metro Dade County Commission sponsored the amendment to the original Dade County antidiscrimination ordinance and the prohibition of discrimination
on the basis of sexual orientation
. Later her former friend, Anita Bryant
, led a highly publicized campaign to repeal the ordinance. The campaign was waged based on what was labeled "Christian beliefs regarding the sinfulness of homosexuality
and the perceived threat of homosexual recruitment
of children and child molestation."
The Florida statute forbidding adoption
s by gays was upheld in 2004 by a federal appellate court
, but on November 25, 2008, was struck down by Judge Cindy Lederman. In her opinion, Lederman said the 31-year-old law violates equal protection rights for the children and their prospective gay parents, rejecting the state's arguments that there is "a supposed dark cloud hovering over homes of homosexuals and their children." She said there was no rational basis to prohibit gay parents from adopting, particularly since the state allowed them to act as foster parents. The ruling cleared the way for Martin Gill, 47, and his male partner to adopt two brothers, ages 4 and 8. They had been foster parents to the children since December 2004.
Until recently, Florida was the only state with an outright ban on adoption by gay parents. On November 4, 2008, Arkansas voters approved a measure to ban anyone "co-habitating outside of a valid marriage" from being foster parents or adopting children. Although the law could apply to heterosexual couples, it is believed to have been written to target gay couples.
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Shack was elected to the Metro-Dade County Commission (now known as the Miami-Dade County Commission) in 1976, 1978 and 1982. After leaving the Commission she became the President and CEO of one of the largest philanthropic organizations in Florida, the Dade Community Foundation (now The Miami Foundation). She retired in 2009.
Education
Ruth earned her Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from Miami-Dade's Barry UniversityBarry University
Barry University is a private, Catholic university, which was founded in 1940 in Miami Shores, Florida, a suburb north of Downtown Miami. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami....
in 1970 with a major in English and a minor in Journalism/Communications. In 1975, she received a Master of Arts in Social Science with specialization in Urban Sociology from the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
. She taught sociology and political science at Florida International University
Florida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
. In 1985 and 1986, she hosted a four-hour talk show on WNWS each Saturday afternoon.
Professional career
Ruth Shack's career has been rooted in the world of community service. She was elected to her first term as Metro-Dade County Commissioner in 1976, re-elected to a four-year term in 1978, and to a third term in 1982. In her tenure as a Commissioner, she forced the county and its municipalities to consider their historic resources, including the Art Deco District on South Miami Beach. In 1981, she sponsored the County's first historic preservation ordinance.Her philanthropic activities are international, national, and locally based. She has served as Vice Chair of the Council on Coundations and Chair of its Management Committee, on the Board of the Community Foundations for Youth and the Board of Funders Concerned about AIDS. She is a member of the Bertelsmann Foundations' Transatlantic Community Foundation Network and was Chair of the Communications Network. She is currently Founder-Chair of the Florida Philanthropic Network and Founder-Chair of the Alliance for Human Services.
Dade Community Foundation
Since becoming the President of the Dade Community Foundation in 1985, the community foundation for the Greater Miami area, Ruth Shack has spearheaded a campaign that has significantly grown the Foundation's assets and has provided oversight for the investment of the endowment and the equitable distribution of grants to Greater Miami's nonprofit institutions.On January 27, 2009, Ruth Shack announced that she would step down from her post as President of Dade Community Foundation by the end of the year.
Human Rights Ordinance
- See also Save Our ChildrenSave Our ChildrenSave Our Children, Inc. was a political coalition formed in 1977 in Miami, Florida, U.S. to overturn a recently legislated county ordinance that banned discrimination in areas of housing, employment, and public accommodation based on sexual orientation...
.
In 1977, Shack as a member of the Metro Dade County Commission sponsored the amendment to the original Dade County antidiscrimination ordinance and the prohibition of discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
on the basis of sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
. Later her former friend, Anita Bryant
Anita Bryant
Anita Jane Bryant is an American singer, former Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner, and gay rights opponent. She scored four Top 40 hits in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Paper Roses", which reached #5...
, led a highly publicized campaign to repeal the ordinance. The campaign was waged based on what was labeled "Christian beliefs regarding the sinfulness of homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
and the perceived threat of homosexual recruitment
Homosexual recruitment
Homosexual recruitment is a term used, primarily in the U.S., to describe alleged attempts by homosexuals to actively "recruit" otherwise heterosexual youths into the 'gay lifestyle'. Allegations of gay recruitment are sometimes leveled at efforts by gay activists to encourage homosexuals to "come...
of children and child molestation."
Reinstatement of Ordinance
In 1998 Dade County repudiated Bryant's successful campaign of 20 years earlier, and re-authorized an anti-discrimination ordinance protecting individuals from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by a 7 to 6 margin. In 2002, a ballot initiative to repeal the 1998 law called Amendment 14 was voted down by 56% of the voters.The Florida statute forbidding adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
s by gays was upheld in 2004 by a federal appellate court
Appellate court
An appellate court, commonly called an appeals court or court of appeals or appeal court , is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal...
, but on November 25, 2008, was struck down by Judge Cindy Lederman. In her opinion, Lederman said the 31-year-old law violates equal protection rights for the children and their prospective gay parents, rejecting the state's arguments that there is "a supposed dark cloud hovering over homes of homosexuals and their children." She said there was no rational basis to prohibit gay parents from adopting, particularly since the state allowed them to act as foster parents. The ruling cleared the way for Martin Gill, 47, and his male partner to adopt two brothers, ages 4 and 8. They had been foster parents to the children since December 2004.
Until recently, Florida was the only state with an outright ban on adoption by gay parents. On November 4, 2008, Arkansas voters approved a measure to ban anyone "co-habitating outside of a valid marriage" from being foster parents or adopting children. Although the law could apply to heterosexual couples, it is believed to have been written to target gay couples.