Gay activist who helped win marriage equality in Florida found dead in landfill
Florida LGBTQ activist Jorge Diaz-Johnston – who was a plaintiff in a historic marriage case – has been found dead at age 54 in a landfill in Jackson County.
Diaz-Johnston went missing on January 3 and his body was found face-down in a trash pile on the morning of Saturday, January 8. Tallahassee Police have ruled his death a homicide and said they suspect foul play.
In July 2014, a judge in Miami-Date County declared the state’s ban on marriage equality unconstitutional in a historic ruling. Diaz-Johnston and Don Price Johnston – the Miami lawyer he would later marry – were plaintiffs in that case that Equality Florida helped bring.
The judge ordered Miami-Dade County to allow same-sex couples to marry a year before the Supreme Court legalized marriage equality in all 50 states.
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Jorge Diaz-Johnston was brother to former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz.
“I am profoundly appreciative of the outpouring of support shown to me, my brother-in-law Don, and my family after the loss of my brother, Jorge Diaz-Johnston,” Diaz wrote on Thursday. “My brother was such a special gift to this world whose heart and legacy will continue to live on for generations to come.”
long article at:
https://lawandcrime.com/crime/activist-who-helped-pave-way-for-same-sex-marriage-found-slain-in-landfill/?utm_source=mostpopular
