b'It Always SeemsImpossible UntilIts Done *by Anna CookePhotography by Denise CashinBreed Specific Legislation is an inhumane tool, used todeal with mans destruction of their own fears. It targetsinnocent animals, that were not put on this earth to bejudged by us.Dahlia Canes, director and founder ofthe Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation(MCABSL), a non-profit organization in Florida whosemission is to eradicate breed specific legislation world-wide, starting with Miami-Dade County.It was at the tender age of six when Dahlia Canes experienced the mean-ing of the word discrimination, soon after arriving in Miami from Cuba in1959.She was confused and wondered why her family had to leave theirbeloved homeland in the first place. But, as a child, Dahlia could not haveunderstood that her fathers high ranking in the Batista regime compro-mised her familys safety. Having watched in fear when men came to theirhome three different times to take her father away, she certainly could nothave known the atrocities he faced, including the firing squad. A politicalrefugee,DahliasfatherwasoneofthefirstCubanexilestoarriveonAmerican soil after the Cuban Revolution. Once he was settled, he sent forhis family.Being called an ethnic slur in a new country, where Spanish was notyet a common language, had a profound effect on the child who wouldgrow up and learn to fight for the underdog. She paid the harassment price,and overcompensated by excelling in any matter, scholastic or otherwise,that came before her. When she arrived in Miami, Dahlia didnt know oneword in English. Within three months, you couldnt shut me up, shelaughs, recalling the memory. I won the spelling bee in school!Dahlia became involved in political matters as a student at HialeahHigh School. In 1971, she served as Student Government President andwastheonlystudenttoserveontheBoardofGovernorsforFloridaNational University. When she finally came to terms with her sexual orien-tation, and realized it was okay to be gay, she undertook the challenge itpresented her by fighting for LGBTQ rights, becoming a founding boardmember for Unity Coalition. All of this, of course, set her up for thebiggest challenge of her adult life. Continued on the following page gwww.TheNewBarker.com THE NEW BARKER 29'