HRC Back Story

Things continue to heat up in the Florida marriage amendment fight. Yesterday Patricia Ireland, former president of the National Organization for Women and a spokesperson for Florida Red and Blue, the bipartisan state group fighting the anti-gay marriage amendment, faced off with the leader of Florida4Marriage, the conservative group pushing the amendment that will face voters in November. During their luncheon debate at Tallahassee's Capital Tiger Bay Club, Ireland pointed out that because of the language of the amendment, its passage would result in numerous lawsuits against state agencies that currently provide benefits for unmarried Floridians who live together:

Ireland noted that Stemberger's amendment bans any "other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof." Ireland said no one knows what "substantial equivalent" means.

"We do know that if Amendment 2 passes, someone is going to be down the next day at the courthouse, filing a lawsuit saying domestic-partner benefits are treating people who receive them as if they were married, in terms of sharing their health care, or retirement benefits or making medical decisions," she said.

Some conservatives will stop at nothing to roadblock progress for GLBT people -- even if straight people will also be affected in big ways.  And they never seem to miss an opportunity to pander to their anti-gay base, especially considering that it's already been uncovered that the Florida GOP has directed large sums of money to conservative anti-gay marriage groups to underwrite their efforts to pass this discriminatory amendment.  (Despite the opposition of Republican Governor Charlie Crist.) That's why HRC continues to work with Florida Red and Blue and other coalition partners to educate voters on the real harm of this amendment to Florida's families - both gay and straight. For more information on HRC's work in Florida to fight this amendment, click here.

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