In April of 2009, the Suncoast Stonewall Democrats - our Sarasota/Manatee County Chapter - began a campaign to fight the discriminatory policy of AAA South because they refused to recognize same-sex spouses for their Associate Membership program. AAA South repeatedly said that Associate Membership was only available to spouses and dependent children - and they defined "spouse" as a person legally married in Florida.

Same-sex spouses were forced to either pay full price for their own membership, or not join at all. Because of this inequity, Suncoast Stonewall Democrats launched a campaign to change their hearts, their minds, and their policy. Early in their efforts, the Suncoast Stonewall Democrats reached out to Equality Florida and other affiliated organizations throughout the south for assistance and continued guidance throughout the campaign.

On July 22, 2009, four senior executives from AAA South - the fourth largest AAA affiliate in the nation - met with Nadine Smith, Executive Director of Equality Florida. During that meeting, Tom O'Brien, AAA South President and CEO stated, "We had not talked about this issue very much at all until you reached out to us, and that has caused us to talk about it quite a bit."

By the end of that meeting, O'Brien agreed that same-sex spouses should indeed be recognized, and promised to change the policy to recognize all spouses, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. The policy now allows gay married couples to receive spousal discounts under AAA's Associate Membership program, wherever they were married, regardless of state or country. Same-sex couples applying for a membership need only state that they are married to receive the family benefit. Management also left the door open to expand the policy to include domestic partners, both gay and straight.

"We are pleased with the outcome of our meeting," Smith said. "AAA is an iconic American company that many of us associate with summer vacation and family road trips. To have AAA South set a standard for full equality for all married couples, regardless of sexual orientation, is an important message and one we hope other companies will follow."

"We appreciate the professional manner in which representatives from Equality Florida met with members of our executive management team to gain a better understanding of each organization's position and concerns. The result, from our perspective, was a very meaningful and productive conversation. Our door is always open," said O'Brien.

Bryan Worthington, President of the Suncoast Stonewall Democrats, spoke for both his organization and his partner when he said, "We're grateful that you have made this momentous move in the spirit of fairness and equality and are proud to renew our membership to AAA South - which now includes both of us! AAA South has earned our sincere appreciation for your decision to honor the relationships of the GLBT communities of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Puerto Rico, and we hope that you will continue your dialog with Equality Florida and the other organizations that were instrumental in this decision and recognize all domestic partnerships."

The Suncoast Stonewall Democrats, the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus, and the GLBT community throughout our region are grateful to AAA South and Equality Florida for their partnership in this effort!


Because AAA South has decided to reverse their policy and now recognizes GLBT spouses for Associate Memberships, we need you to call and write them to say "Thank you!" They are being flooded with calls and emails from those that oppose this move, so we need to counter them with our gratitude.