Nothing like anti-gay hysteria to get out the vote, said the Daytona News Journal in editorial exposing the real purpose of Florida’s so-called “marriage amendment.”
Florida law already prohibits same-sex couples from marrying. The state doesn’t need a constitutional amendment to do the same — unless, of course, the rationale is to stampede conservatives to the polls.
“The rationale is to stampede conservatives to the polls.”… the group’s premise: Allowing gay men and lesbians to marry somehow threatens other Floridians. In support of that premise, they offer no data, no factual analysis, no case studies. Just rhetoric, often misleading rhetoric. For example, statements on the site speak to “establishing marriage” as if hundreds of Floridians aren’t already marrying every day.
The proposed amendment doesn’t stop at marriage. It also would prohibit state lawmakers from creating any “substantial equivalent” of marriage. In other words, the state could not pass a law legalizing civil unions…
A wiser, more compassionate move would take the state in the other direction, realizing that gay people — like any other Floridians — deserve the chance to formalize permanent bonds and create their own families.
Floridians may not be ready to go there. But this amendment tricks them, by also banning civil unions…
Unfortunately, it’s likely that Florida voters won’t understand how broad this proposed amendment is unless they realize how cynically they’re being played. Voters — and Florida’s substantial gay population — deserve better.
Kentucky had that last year. Kentucky ALSO has a law on the books prohibiting gay marriage, but that didn’t stop our Repubs from writing another one. This one also defined marriage as a thing granted by someone else (ie a priest or Justice of the Peace) which turned several tens of thousands of Kentucky Commom law spouses into boyfriends/girlfriends.
Thus removing the CWs from court spousal protections.
People dying in a foreign land, skyrocketing gas prices, suckass economy, AMERICANS dying like 3rd world refugees….hey its all cool, cuz 2 dudes can’t smooch, right?
That is depressing. How many states now have such drastic laws against anything approximating equality for gays and lesbians? I know Ohio did something similar last year. Virginia democrats resorted to reverse tricks to try and preserve the last vestige of fairness: the opportunity for companies to offer domestic partner benefits. Otherwise, Virginia is right there with Florida and Ohio. Eventually one of two things will happen: people will see through this for the dirty trick it is, or the majority will take it to its obvious conclusion and put us all in prison or rehabilitation camps.