NAPLES — On paper, Doug Ball and Frank Dowd married May 19, 2007, in a double wedding with a pair of close friends at a Toronto city hall.
The anniversary they celebrate, however, is June 17, 1982, their first official date when Ball invited his then-vegetarian love interest over to his Washington, D.C., apartment for dinner.
In 2008, more than 60% of Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment that prevents same-sex marriages from being performed or recognized in the Sunshine State. But after rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court in June declared a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional and dismissed Proposition 8 in California, Floridians are hopeful that someday marriage equality could arrive in our state.
As LGBTQ Americans across the country continue to celebrate the June 26 Supreme Court ruling striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the immediate future of marriage equality in Florida looks bleak. Even so, a call to action is growing state-wide to bring about change.
Many Floridians felt underwhelmed after the DOMA appeal. After all, Florida wasn’t even close to legalizing gay marriage so, nothing short of uprooting our lives and moving to California, how could this affect us? Equality Florida—the premiere gay rights organization in Florida—understood this dilemma and crafted a project as a solution: Get Engaged!.
El permiso de residencia le fue aprobado a Popov de 41 años, un inmigrante de origen búlgaro, luego que su pareja estadunidense Marsh de 55 años, solicitó ese visado y aportó la documentación adecuada.
En declaraciones a la prensa Marsh se mostró feliz de que su país reconozca su matrimonio, aunque lamentó que en Florida éste tipo de uniones no se permitan, por lo que él y su pareja tuvieron que casarse en Nueva York en el 2012.
Equality Florida is seeking a same-sex couple who wants to sue Florida for marriage equality.
Here's the news release:
After consulting with state and national legal experts on the scope of the Supreme Court decision and the impact it may have for state constitutional bans, Equality Florida is reaching out to potential plaintiffs for a lawsuit in Florida.
Un matrimonio gay de Florida se ha convertido en el primero del país en recibir un permiso de residencia permanente, días después de que el Supremo de EE.UU. otorgara reconocimiento a las parejas del mismo sexo ya casadas.
NEW YORK -- Even as they celebrate a momentous legal victory, supporters of gay marriage already are anticipating a return trip to the Supreme Court in a few years, sensing that no other option but a broader court ruling will legalize same-sex unions in all 50 states.
In the meantime, as one gay-rights leader said, there will be "two Americas" – and a host of legal complications for many gay couples moving between them.
While gay rights advocates were celebrating two Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriages Wednesday, gay couples still won't be able to marry in Florida.
The Supreme Court struck down a provision of a federal law denying federal benefits to married gay couples. It also left intact a lower court ruling overturning California's gay marriage ban.
Orlando's gay community and its supporters will hold a "Marriage Equality Rally" celebrating U.S. Supreme Court rulings on gay marriage at 7 p.m. today at Lake Eola Park.
With dozens of people holding signs, rainbow colored flags and T-shirts, St. Pete residents were cheering the United States Supreme Court's decision Wednesday at Straub Park to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act and to strike down California's Prop 8.
It was time for joy for those in attendance, but Equality Florida said Wednesday also served as a reminder of how far Florida needs to come until all are equal.
Gay marriage supporters in South Florida said the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision striking down the federal Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional is a step in the right direction – and a call to action.
That’s because gay marriage is not recognized in the state of Florida, where voters approved a constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriages in 2008.
Tonight’s marriage equality rally is officially a celebration!
The GLBT Center of Central Florida (The Center), Come Out With Pride, the Human Rights Campaign, Equality Florida, ACLU, Watermark and Hot Spots are hosting the event, which starts at 7 p.m. at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando.
The low point for gays in Florida was 2008, when voters overwhelmingly supported a state constitutional amendment making same-sex marriage illegal. It was a demoralizing blow that came at the same time California voters approved Proposition 8, which also banned gay marriage.