After Roe abortn lg, is gay marriage next Florida? | Miami Herald

Contents:

• GAY MARRIAGE FLORIDA – LEGAL OR NOT?
• OFFICIALS EXAMG STATE LAW WHICH BANS GAY MARRIAGE FLORIDA

GAY MARRIAGE FLORIDA – LEGAL OR NOT?

In January, Florida beme the 36th state where gay marriage is legal. Hodg legalized gay marriage across the untry, Democrats filed a bill to get the language scbbed om state law. Supreme Court's landmark cisn Friday relegat Florida's gay marriage ban to the bwebbed rners of urt's lg brgs closure to a yearslong battle between same-sex upl seekg the right to marry and to have their out-of-state marriag regnized, and the state's Republin lears, who have fought at every turn.

Although gay marriage beme legal Florida January, has remaed on appeal to the 11th U. Circu Court of Appeals Atlanta, wag for the Supreme Court to ci whether gay upl had the right to marry ban "is ad, " said Elizabeth Whe, a Jacksonville civil rights attorney who helped brg one of the s that led to a feral judge's cisn last year strikg down the state's same-sex marriage ban. "The urt's 5-4 lg that all gay marriage bans are unnstutnal bookends s of tirels activism natnally and Florida, where lawmakers have passed some of the untry's tought antigay laws and where Ana Bryant's csa agast homosexuals the 1970s ma her a natnal celebry for the relig right.

OFFICIALS EXAMG STATE LAW WHICH BANS GAY MARRIAGE FLORIDA

Although attus toward gay men and lbians have shifted rapidly across the Uned Stat, Florida's legislature remas eply divid.

A few months ago, Tallahassee lawmakers voted to repeal the state's 30-year ban on adoptns by same-sex upl, but also nsired a measure allowg private adoptn agenci to reject would-be parents who are gay.

"Reactn om gay rights advot arrived swiftly and joyoly, as many celebrated the certaty that gay marriage Florida would rema a legal right. District Court gay marriage opponents predicted the lg would spire public backlash, jt as the urt's 1973 cisn Roe vs. "It's very nfg why they want to let gays be happy.

… We n't say that gays are gog to be wele to e here and get married. Petersburg, passed domtic partnership registri, the state ban cut off gay upl om many of the fancial and legal rights of beg recently, many gay upl livg Florida who were married other stat uld not get divorced. District Judge Robert Hkle led Florida's gay marriage ban unnstutnal and rejected Bondi's requt that he lay his cisn om takg effect while she appealed.

6, Florida beme the 36th state to allow gay Whe, who was born and raised Florida, the fact that state's marriage ban fell six months before the Supreme Court terced is a victory on s own.

"• • •Yet many months after gay marriage beme legal here, not everyone readily accepts as the new realy.