Jan. 13 — Jorge Díaz-Johnston, brother of Florida Democratic Party Chairman Manny Díaz, and one of the plaintiffs in the historic Miami-Dade same-sex marriage lawsuit, was found dead Saturday. .
Diaz-Johnston, 54, had been missing since Jan.3 when his body was found in a garbage heap at a Jackson County landfill Saturday morning. He was last seen in the 2800 block of Remington Green Circle in Tallahassee, where Diaz-Johnston lived with his partner, Don Johnston.
Tallahassee Police determined that his death, initially reported by the Tallahassee Democrat, was a homicide. Authorities have not yet released the autopsy details of his death.
The couple was one of six, and the only one from Miami, who were part of a major lawsuit filed in 2014 in Miami-Dade to challenge Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage. A county judge ruled that Florida’s ban was unconstitutional nearly a year before the landmark 2015 Supreme Court ruling that all states must recognize the marriage license of same-sex couples.
“I am excited. I have received many congratulatory texts and emails. I am ecstatic,” Diaz-Johnston told the Herald in July 2014. “We came to this knowing it would probably be a long road. We are confident that justice will prevail and we will get there. where necessary “.
Manny Díaz, who served as mayor of Miami from 2001 to 2009, released a statement thanking the Tallahassee Police, supported by Mayor John Dailey and City Manager Reese Goad, for investigating his brother’s disappearance.
“I am deeply grateful for the expressions of support received by me, my brother-in-law Don and my family after the loss of my brother, Jorge Díaz-Johnston. My brother was a very special gift to this world, whose heart and legacy will live on for the generations to come, “Diaz said.
Some of the plaintiffs in the case Diaz-Johnston was involved in were among the first gay couples to marry in Florida on January 5, 2015, nearly 13 hours before the same-sex marriage ban was lifted. in the rest of the state.
Orlando Gonzales, executive director of the SAVE Foundation, a Miami LGBTQ rights organization that was also involved in the Florida lawsuit, said he was shocked to learn of Diaz-Johnston’s death. They had known each other since 2000, when Gonzales moved to Miami, and he said he was always impressed by their kindness and commitment to his defense.
“It’s a tremendous loss when someone with those qualities leaves too early and in such an incredibly horrible way,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales added that Díaz-Johnston was instrumental in SAVE’s Hispanic community outreach activities and in recruiting Spanish-speaking volunteers in Miami to help with their campaigns.
Diaz-Johnston was doing a Ph.D. in Religious Studies at Florida State University, something that Gonzales says speaks of Diaz-Johnston’s personal passion and mission rather than professional obligation.
“He wanted to develop his thinking, his mind,” Gonzales said.
Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida and another of the plaintiffs in the Miami-Dade lawsuit, said her heart had been “broken” when she learned of Diaz-Johnston’s death.
“He and her husband Don were two of the brave plaintiffs who stood up to Florida’s ban on gay marriage and helped achieve marriage equality for all Floridians,” Smith said in a statement. “Our deepest condolences to Don and Jorge’s extended family.”
Tallahassee Police detectives ask that anyone with information about the investigation, which is open and active, call the department at 850-891-4200. Reporters can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 850-574-TIPS.
Miami Herald researcher Monika Leal contributed to this report.
This story was originally posted on January 13, 2022 5:52 pm.