Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi appeals several gay-marriage rulings statewide

BY KELLI KENNEDY

Associated Press

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi filed appeals late Friday on several rulings overturning the state’s ban on gay marriage.

The motion argues the sole legal issue is the constitutional validity of the state ban and any changes should come from voters, not the courts. Florida voters approved the ban in 2008.

Bondi’s office said the agency joined the appeals to promote an orderly and consistent resolution after several judges around the state recently overturned Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage. Bondi has asked judges to stop ruling on same-sex marriage cases until the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether states can ban gay marriage. A number of similar rulings around the country have been put on hold while appeals are pursued.

Judges in four Florida counties – Palm Beach, Monroe, Miami-Dade and Broward– have overturned the ban. A federal judge has also overturned the ban. U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle in Tallahassee ruled on Aug. 21 that the ban violates the 14th Amendment’s guarantees of equal protection and due process. Hinkle issued a stay delaying the effect of his order, pending possible appeals.

The latest Florida ruling came in a pair of lawsuits brought by gay couples seeking to marry in Florida and others who want to force Florida to recognize gay marriages performed legally in other states.

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Joan Rivers’ executive producer speaks at Stonewall museum screening in Fort Lauderdale

The Stonewall National Museum and Archives in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday screened Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, a 2010 documentary about the comedy legend, who died Sept. 4 at age 81.

Larry Ferber, former executive producer of The Joan Rivers Show and a three-time Emmy nominee, presented the film and shared anecdotes about Rivers.

Click here to view and tag Facebook photos from Stonewall event. Photos by Jon Schwenzer, South Florida chapter president of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA).