Mitch Perry
Attempting to build up positive momentum in the lead-up to next week’s U.S. Supreme Court hearing on same-sex marriage, a new group has been formed to show the growing bipartisan backing for gay marriage in the Sunshine State.
It’s called, Florida Republicans for the Freedom to Marry, a joint effort between Equality Florida and Freedom to Marry, a national organization based in Washington.
“Government needs to stop telling its citizens how to live their private lives. There is no reason why our government should be deciding who can and can not get married,” said Nelson D. Diaz, chairman of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County. He’s one of more than a dozen prominent Florida Republicans to lend his voice to the cause.
Two South Florida GOP members of Congress, Illeana Ros-Lehtinen and Carlos Curbelo, have also signed on to the list.
“Marriage equality is one of the seminal social issues of our time,” Ros-Lehtien said. “Two people who love each other and want to spend their lives together, no matter what their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be able to do so while enjoying the same legal rights and benefits that heterosexual marriages do. Our country was founded on the basis of respect for freedom and liberty and marriage equality only seeks to fulfill those beliefs.”
A notable name missing from the list is Pinellas County U.S. Rep. David Jolly, who ignited a small firestorm among social conservatives last summer when he announced his support for same-sex marriage.
Equality Florida spokesman Jim Harper said a member of the Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee has been coordinating the effort, and has mainly reached out to officials with whom he was already familiar.
“David Jolly certainly ought to be on the list, and I’ll make sure that happens as the list grows between now and the Supreme Court ruling,” Harper said.
The two groups said they are launching a social media campaign this week to build additional awareness and support.
“Democrats have historically been on the forefront of advocating for LGBT rights, but human rights are a bipartisan issue,” said Nadine Smith, chief executive officer of Equality Florida. “People from all walks of life, of every political persuasion, have come to recognize that non-discrimination and human dignity are core values we all can support.”
Same-sex marriage is now legal in 37 states. (Some news agencies say it’s only 36 states, because of the unclear status of Alabama). It became legal in Florida the first week of 2015.
A nationwide USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll published this week found that by a 51-35 percent margin, those surveyed said that it’s no longer practical for the U.S. Supreme Court to ban same-sex marriages because so many states have legalized them. The pollsters said that among the reasons for such a transformation on the issue was that close to half said they had a gay or lesbian family member or close friend who is married to someone of the same sex.
None of the major Republican presidential candidates supports same-sex marriage, but many have been asked in the past couple of weeks whether they would at least attend a same-sex ceremony. Most have said that they would.
In a The New York Times op-ed published Thursday, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a possible GOP presidential candidate, wrote that he steadfastly maintains the view “that has been the consensus in our country for over two centuries: that marriage is between one man and one woman. Polls indicate that the American consensus is changing — but like many other believers, I will not change my faith-driven view on this matter, even if it becomes a minority opinion.”
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in four states’ same-sex marriage cases on Tuesday, and by the end of June is expected to rule whether such marriages should be recognized nationwide.
Until then, Florida Republicans for the Freedom to Marry, will try to add to its ranks.
“As the Supreme Court considers its ruling,” Equality Florida’s Smith said, “they will know that America is ready to support the freedom to marry.”
