Ruth Shack (born August 24, 1931) is an American politician who served as the sponsor of the 1977 Human Rights Ordinance in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
She met Richard Shack on a blind date at the Allerton Hotel for Women in New York: after half an hour he said he was going to marry her.
As a commissioner, she stimulated the county and its municipalities to reassess historic resources such as the Art Deco District of South Beach.
"[8] Discussion shifted from the ordinance's original focus, anti-discrimination in the workforce, to a highly emotional public debate around sexuality and lifestyle.
On December 1, 1998, the Dade County Commission re-enacted the anti-discrimination ordinance in a 7-6 vote, protecting individuals from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
[10][11] The passage and reinstatement of Shack's ordinance, and the community activism that it inspired, are considered to have been important steps towards the establishment of further anti-discrimination protections in Florida.
[12][13] A Florida statute forbidding adoptions by homosexuals was upheld in 2004 by a federal appellate court, but was struck down on November 25, 2008 by Judge Cindy Lederman.
The ruling cleared the way for the adoption of two brothers, ages 4 and 8, by the foster parents who had looked after them since December 2004, Martin Gill and his male partner.
[14] Shack and local attorney Joe Fleming were two of those who supported the "Surrounded Islands" installation by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude in 1983.
Shack encouraged the grantmaking process to address issues of cultural alienation and help people to cross ethnic barriers through activities such as providing seed funding for small groups from diverse multicultural local communities.
In 2013, Shack donated a collection of archival materials and art books to the Otto G. Richter Library at the University of Miami.