Judge overturns Florida same-sex marriage ban; attorney general to appeal

[finehoe]

Florida's ban on gay marriage was overturned Thursday by a judge in the Keys, the first ruling on a series of lawsuits aiming to legalize same-sex marriage.

Circuit Judge Luis Garcia in Monroe County ruled that a 6-year-old provision in the Florida Constitution outlawing same-sex marriage violates the U.S. Constitution.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/07/17/4240865/keys-judge-gay-couples-can-marry.html

[coredumped]

"The court is aware that the majority of voters oppose same-sex marriage, but it is our country's proud history to protect the rights of the individual, the rights of the unpopular and rights of the powerless, even at the cost of offending the majority," Garcia wrote in his opinion.

Is that true? I always thought most (51%+) of the country wasn't opposed to it.

Conservatives say they will do everything they can to make sure the answer remains a resounding "no," and blasted Garcia's ruling Thursday as another overreach by an activist judge.

Anthony Verdugo, executive director of the Christian Family Coalition of Florida, called the ruling a "corrupt decision," and a "judicial lynching of nearly 8 million Florida voters" who voted to ban same-sex marriage in 2008.

John Stemberger, who led that 2008 campaign, said he would keep fighting.

"This is an issue worth dying for," said Stemberger, president and general counsel of the Florida Family Policy Council in Orlando. "Every domestic partnership, every single civil union, every couple that cohabitates, these arrangements dilute and devalue marriage."

This makes me very sad. If you don't agree with it, don't get gay-married.

Does anyone else find it ironic that modern day "republicans" say that they want less government, yet they want to pass laws on who can who.

[Charles Hunter]

Divorce devalues marriage - they want to ban that, too?  No?  Because they like this particular "sin"?

[coredumped]

Divorce devalues marriage - they want to ban that, too?  No?  Because they like this particular "sin"?

Good Pam Bondi, expert in marriage, is working on her 3rd marriage. Let's see how she likes to be discriminated against.

[urbanlibertarian]

Deregulate marriage and let folks "roll their own".

[coredumped]

Deregulate marriage and let folks "roll their own".

^^^^^ exactly! And while we're at it to make this simpler, stop giving tax breaks to married couples. No part of the gov. shouldn't be involved in marriage. Period.