Source: St. Petersburg Times

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/09/18/Hillsborough/Gathering_opposes_gay.shtml

On September 18, 2005 the St. Petersburg Times reported, "Responding to Hillsborough County commissioners' gay pride ban, about 85 people gathered for an interfaith worship service in downtown Tampa on Saturday afternoon. Representatives from the Tampa Bay area's Christian, Jewish, Pagan and Buddhist communities spoke at the service... Some called for peace and love, some preached forgiveness and some urged the audience to pray for the county commissioners... The idea for the service came out of a June 20 meeting at [the Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa], where more than 700 people rallied against the county commissioners' June 15 vote to abstain from acknowledging, promoting or participating in gay pride recognition and events. The commissioners voted to ban the county from involvement in gay pride events after Commissioner Ronda Storms objected to a library's display of books by homosexual authors during Gay and Lesbian Pride Month."