Oppose Amendment 2

Oppose Amendment 2
Donna Tara Lee
May/June 2008

Most of us are aware that this November there will be an amendment to the state constitution barring gay marriage. However most of us are unaware that there are already two laws banning gay marriage in Florida already. Why the need to pass an amendment to the state constitution then?

The proponents of Amendment 2 will tell you it’s needed to prevent liberal activist judges from declaring a gay marriage ban unconstitutional. Let’s take a look at this argument. In a constitution there never should be written a law barring a group of society from the rights of all other segments of the society. This is institutionalized racism, or discrimination, outlawed by the Supreme Court of the US when it overturned Plessey v. Ferguson. (1954, Brown v. Board of Education.) Eventually the US Supreme Court should outlaw all these marriage bans that are based on religious beliefs.

This also is unconstitutional in my opinion based on Amendment 1 in the Bill of Rights (including freedom of association). These are two legal arguments against passing Amendment 2.

Now we get to the untold reasoning for support of amendment 2, the insidious reason the Religious Right is promoting it. According to their view, those cohabitating without being in a state of marriage are sinning. Never mind why.

The wording of this Amendment 2 is based on the wording of the Michigan amendment banning gay marriage in Michigan. It is now being used in Michigan to ban benefits where they were granted to those living in a relationship where the 2 persons are not legally married.

Most of the above occurrences are taking place where gay and lesbian couples have been granted Domestic Partnership status by a municipality, employer, etc. This is really an attempt to disallow GLBT persons from having any kind of domestic partnership benefits at all.

This makes these amendments very mean spirited. Not only are they an attempt by a small group to impose their standards on society, they also are attempting to punish a group they vehemently oppose, the LGBT community. This amendment 2 must be defeated.

On Sunday, May 18, at the Ritz Hotel on SR 40 in Ocala, from 1-3 PM, there will be a brunch fundraiser opposing this amendment. It is sponsored by Florida Red and Blue, co-chaired by both a Republican and a Democrat. The cost for this event is $10.00. I will be making a short address on this issue in central Florida and I shall be followed by our Keynote speaker, Patricia Ireland, former National President for 10 years of NOW. She will speak extensively of our efforts to defeat this amendment statewide. Please make plans to attend.

Donna Tara Lee is a Volunteer Field Worker in North Central Florida with Fairness for all Florida Families.

previous article [current issue] next article
Search | Archives | Calendar | Directory | About / Subscriptions |

Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional eXTReMe Tracker