From Equality Florida:
Equality Florida released the following statement, by Deputy Director Stratton Pollitzer, regarding New York’s recognition of marriage equality:“ This victory is particularly special for Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. So many Floridians either came from New York, have 2nd homes there, or have friends and family in New York. Because of these close ties, many gay and lesbian couples from Florida will decide to go to New York to get married and they will return to Florida, where their legal marriages are not yet recognized by our state or federal governments.
Here in Florida we are also moving in the direction of equality, and today 6.7 million Floridians live in communities that recognize our families with domestic partnership benefits.
Our goal in Florida is the same as our friends' in New York, and this victory is a turning point that brings us much closer to full marriage equality for all of our families."
In the case of "Loving vs Virginia" the United States Supreme Court Stated that "Marriage is one of the basic civil rights of man," in a unanimous opinion striking down the Virginia's then law against interracial marriage. during that case it was argued by the ACLU that:
"The Lovings have the right to go to sleep at night knowing that if should they not wake in the morning, their children would have the right to inherit from them. They have the right to be secure in knowing that, if they go to sleep and do not wake in the morning, that one of them, a survivor of them, has the right to Social Security benefits. All of these are denied to them, and they will not be denied to them if the whole anti-miscegenistic scheme of Virginia... [is] found unconstitutional."
Cannot the same be said for today's gay couples?
Considering the number of legal rights, responsibilities and benefits granted married couples, shouldn't marriage be considered a civil joining of two persons?
Posted by: Dennis Paquin | June 26, 2011 at 02:04 PM