I am outraged that the Fort Lauderdale City Commission is honoring this church on its 60th anniversary.

The pain that this religious institution has inflicted on LGBT youth, adults, and loving allies over the years is incalculable. Furthermore, today the D. James Kennedy Ministries, located at 5555 N. Federal Hwy in Fort Lauderdale, has never been more focused and determined in its campaign to malign and degrade the LGBT community.

Therefore, I believe the following addendum to the proclamation is appropriate: And whereas Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, under the guidance and inspiration of Dr. D. James Kennedy, spent years demeaning the LGBT community with ugly lies, cruelty, and the torture of LGBT youth with so-called conversion or reparative therapy, and having never apologized or atoned for promoting the hatred of gay and trans people leading to all sorts of negative, violent and undoubtedly deadly consequences, do hereby proclaim March 16, 2021, as a slap in the face to the entire LGBT community of Fort Lauderdale, South Florida, and the nation. 

- Marc Paige
Fort Lauderdale, FL