Democrat drops support for bill that could make movies with gay characters ineligible for tax credit
by Michael C. Bender | March 8th, 2010
Florida Rep. Ari Porth, D-Coral Springs, removed his name today from the list of co-sponsors for a tax incentive package for the film industry in Florida. A story today in The Palm Beach Post highlighted a provision in the bill (HB 697) that could prohibit films and TV shows with gay characters from receiving a 5 percent “family-friendly” tax break.
“I believe in the film industry tax incentives, but was uncomfortable with provisions limiting the field of qualified recipients. I hope to be able to support the measure in the future,” Porth said in an e-mail.
Tags: Ari Porth, family values, film industry, tax credits
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March 8th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
Imagine how perfect our world would be if Hitler would’ve had his way.
Ich liebe der fuhrer!! Wir sind helden!!!1!
March 8th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Well thank God for this level-headed, fair minded politician!
March 9th, 2010 at 2:48 am
Here we go again. Just another example of the bigotry and ignorance alive and well in the US. So we Florida Taxpayers need to subsidize the 50′s era of american family. “Crew cut Dad in shirt and tie working at some unknown profession, Blond and Blue Eyed Mom in pearls in an apron at the tove, and sonny and sis chowing down a breakfast of bacon and eggs! Ah yes… the great american family.
March 11th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
At this rate, you couldn’t film “Miami Vice” there. I’m not even sure about “Burn Notice.” Besides, nobody wants to shoot in a backwater. Some may have forgotten that when Dade County rescinded an ordinance outlawing discrimination of gay people back in the heyday of Anita Bryant, there was a national boycott of Florida tourism and Florida orange juice, and it hurt. The state’s image was blackened, and not until Dade Country reinstated the ordinance did it begin to recover. But Florida is still a vicious state towards gay people, despite some gay-friendly tourist destinations. They are targeted for hostile legislation on adoption and child custody, among other things. If this passes, it will hurt Florida’s reputation ever more. And there would be even more sympathy for a boycott now. Florida isn’t even in the top ten states for film production anymore, and just by increasing the subsidy a little, the legislature is going to control Hollywood? They’ll film what people want to see, and they’ll film it wherever they have to. The tastes of a few Florida Republicans aren’t going to be forced on the world by an act of the state legislature.
March 18th, 2010 at 9:13 pm
[...] we wrote about the little-noticed provision, one House Democrat dropped his support for the bill and the New York Times and L.A. Times have written about the [...]