NAACP Chair Opposing Fla. Same-Sex-Marriage Ban

NAACP Chair Opposing Fla. Same-Sex-Marriage Ban


By Yoji Cole
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NAACP Chairman Julian Bond is joining a coalition of groups in Florida that oppose the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment, a measure that could ban same-sex marriage and protections that both straight, unmarried couples and gay and lesbian couples now enjoy, they say. A federal amendment to ban same-sex marriage has not passed, and increasingly, Americans support same-sex marriage or civil unions.

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Why is Florida taking on this issue now? Putting an amendment on the November ballot that would ban same-sex marriage in Florida is expected to motivate increased voter turnout for a hotly contested presidential election that will again place Florida in the center of national politics.

The Florida Marriage Protection Amendment "defines and preserves marriage as the union of one man and one woman as husband and wife [and] prohibits any other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof from being valid or recognized as marriage," according to Florida4Marriage, an organization campaigning in support of the amendment.

Also, "The amendment does not prohibit the state or local government from passing laws which confer rights to unmarried persons as long as the laws are not designed to treat unmarried relationships as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof," reports Florida4Marriage.

Fairness for All Families, a statewide coalition of groups who oppose the measure, says the amendment's language is deceptive and too broad. The amendment will affect unmarried straight couples, such as senior couples who have chosen to remain unmarried after being widowed, they say.

"What they included is language that says 'substantial equivalent,' and that's not defined, so it is intended to go well beyond blocking marriage for same-sex couples," says Nadine Smith, a board member of Fairness for All Families. "It takes away any legal protection for unmarried couples, gay or straight … Advocates for seniors talk with authority and passion of the impact of stripping away legal benefits for seniors who chose not to remarry after they're widowed."

It is hoped that Bond will influence NAACP members to vote down the amendment, added Smith. "His voice is an important and powerful voice in opposition to this harmful amendment. He's someone who speaks with wisdom and authority on the kind of harmful impact of singling people out and making it harder on people to take care of their loved ones."

Bond was not available for comment and the NAACP did not provide a statement.