Tag: Gay marriage

Legalizing Gay Marriage Would ‘Impose Significant Public Harm’ on Florida [UPDATED]

Buck Banks

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi jogging in her undies.
She’s a cute little button-nosed blue-eyed blonde, but don’t be fooled by the packaging. Pam Bondi, Florida’s (or should I say Rick Scott’s) attorney general has asserted in court papers that recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states would “impose significant public harm.”

Bondi’s assertion is in response to eight gay couples who were married in other states, but whose unions are illegal in Florida, who have filed a discrimination suit in federal court. Florida’s legal leader suggests the judge toss the suit.

Bondi’s reasons for objecting to the suit:

Bondi’s office says the state has a legitimate interest in defining a marriage as between a man and woman because Florida’s voters adopted an amendment in 2008 that banned same-sex marriages.

The filing also says same-sex marriage recognition would create significant problems for the state’s pension and health insurance programs.

Equality Florida responded to reports of Bondi’s legal argument this way:

[…]

Conway wanted to Be ‘On the Right Side of History’ with Ruling on Gay Marriage Ban

Buck Banks

I felt like that from a fiscal responsibility standpoint, I didn’t need to be wasting taxpayer resources in a lawsuit that we weren’t going to win or in an appeal that we weren’t going to win. For the sake of my daughter’s view on my public service in the future, I wanted to be on the right side of history.

— Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway (D), explaining to the Huffington Post why he refused to defend Kentucky’s gay marriage ban.

Large Majority Now Support Gay Marriage

Buck Banks

55% to 40%

Majority by which Americans say marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by law as valid, with the same rights of traditional marriage, a new USA Today poll finds. “The only major demographic groups in which a majority oppose same-sex marriage are Republicans (68%) and seniors 65 and older (51%). Even in the South, which continues to be the only region that doesn’t show majority support for gay marriage, opposition has slipped below 50%.”