Mitch PerryWith all due respect to all of the people who will be attending Governor Rick Scott’s inauguration later this morning, the speech by the recently reelected Republican is not the biggest story in Florida today.
No, there have been inaugurations before and there will be again. But for the first time in the history of the Sunshine State today, same-sex couples will be able to legally marry.
The events come some six years after Florida voters overwhelmingly supported a ban on same-sex marriages in the state. But we’ve come a long way since then.
But civil rights activists would certainly say it doesn’t matter (though it helps), that Floridians have a much different attitude about gay marriage than they did in 2008, when they voted overwhelmingly to ban such unions.
Conservative activist John Stemberger isn’t giving up that fight, however. He considers the whole thing “illegitimate,” noting that of the 35 states that have currently enacted same-sex marriages, only 11 have done it with a “legitimate process of either a popular vote or a legislative enactment from duly elected officials. ”
But if giving civiil rights were up to the whims of the public, who knows where we would be?
The fact is, it was illegal until 1967 for interracial marriage in America. The Supreme Court used Loving v. Virginia to strike down “anti-miscegenation” statutes barring interracial marriage as violating the 14th Amendment’s guarantees of equal protection of the laws and due process.
Certainly the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. If those major pieces of legislation were up for a popular vote, it’s extremely doubtfully that they would have been approved in our Southern states.
Meanwhile, back at the inauguration, will Governor Scott dare to take a few moments to mention today’s historic occasion? He’s been notably silent about this huge development.
In other news…
Congressman David Jolly is sponsoring a bill that will ensure that local law enforcement officers are sufficiently trained to handle military equipment handed down from the Dept. of Defense. But otherwise, the Pinellas Republican has no problems with police using grenade launchers against dissenting members of the public.
Could Tampa’s much maligned streetcar system make a comeback? We don’t know the answer yet, but hope could be on the way.
Kathleen Shanahan is one connected Republican, and the newest member of the HART board definitely carries some influence on the transit agency.
And Charlie Miranda made it official on Monday – he’s a candidate for the Tampa City Council District 2 race this winter.
