~~August 22, 2014~~
By: Steve Rothaus
The Miami Herald 4:50 p.m. EDT, August 21, 2014
A federal judge on Thursday, August 21, 2014, ruled Florida’s gay marriage ban unconstitutional and ordered the state to recognize marriages legally performed elsewhere. U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle, however, immediately stayed his order until after the appeals process is completed.
“When observers look back 50 years from now, the arguments supporting Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage, though just as sincerely held, will again seem an obvious pretext for discrimination,” Hinkle wrote. “Observers who are not now of age will wonder just how those views could have been held.”
Hinkle’s ruling comes after 22 individuals including nine married couples sued Florida to recognize their marriages or grant them marriage licenses. Plaintiffs in the case include eight same-sex couples from South Florida and the LGBT rights group SAVE.
“While we are overjoyed that the judge erred on the side of fairness by ordering the state of Florida recognize the legal marriages of the plaintiffs, we will continue to make the case that it is Florida’s responsibility to recognize the legal marriages of ALL same-sex couples, and not only those named as plaintiffs in our suit,” SAVE Executive Director Tony Lima said in a statement. “SAVE will continue to advocate for a pro-equality ruling as the court examines the case further in the weeks and months ahead.”
Congrats to the legal teams, the ACLU of Florida, SAVE, and all of the plaintiff couples – including Bob & Chuck, military veterans who have been together for 51 years – on today’s big win in federal court for marriage in Florida!
In March, eight same-sex couples who married elsewhere in the United States sued Florida to recognize their unions: Sloan Grimsley and Joyce Albu of Palm Beach Gardens; Lindsay Myers and Sarah Humlie of Pensacola; Chuck Hunziger and Bob Collier of Broward; Juan Del Hierro and Thomas Gantt Jr. of Miami; Christian Ulvert and Carlos Andrade of Miami; Richard Milstein and Eric Hankin of Miami; Robert Loupo and John Fitzgerald of Miami; and Denise Hueso and Sandra Jean Newson of Miami.
On April 10, 2014, the ACLU of Florida amended its complaint by adding another plaintiff: Arlene Goldberg of Fort Myers, whose wife, Carol Goldwasser, died March 13. Goldberg and Goldwasser had been partners for 47 years. They moved from New York City to Florida in 1989 and married in New York in October 2011.
The ACLU suit eventually was consolidated with a similar case involving two couples in North Florida, one already married and the other wanting to wed.
“It’s the first federal decision in Florida. When the stay is lifted, it will have statewide impact,” said Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida. “What it will mean, when the stay is ultimately lifted, is that these families will be protected and strengthened. They’ll start getting health insurance, pension benefits. They could protect their families with survivors benefits. These are the dramatic, practical ways that this victory will ultimately help families in Florida.”
(c)2014 The Miami Herald
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~~SOURCE/FULL READ~~
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-mct-bc-fla-gaymarriage-20140821,0,6849204.story
~~She Keeps Me Warm~~
~Mary Lambert~
~~Published on Jul 30, 2013~~
Why is this important to me? I live in Florida!
~~Photoshopped~~
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