Statewide
Gay marriage rally tonight at Lake Eola will celebrate Supreme Court rulings
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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.
High court ruling bittersweet for Florida same-sex couples
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Wednesday was bittersweet for Florida supporters of marriage equality.
The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to overturn part of the Defense of Marriage Act, which had denied federal benefits to married same-sex couples. But the ruling did not address state laws that invalidate same-sex unions.
Florida has a state statute and an amendment to its constitution defining marriage as between a man and a woman, and maintaining that same-sex marriages from other states are invalid.
Supreme Court rules twice for same-sex marriage rights
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- In significant but incomplete victories for gay rights, the Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a provision of a federal law denying federal benefits to married gay couples and cleared the way for the resumption of same-sex marriage in California.
The justices issued two 5-4 rulings in their final session of the term. One decision wiped away part of a federal anti-gay marriage law that has kept legally married same-sex couples from receiving tax, health and pension benefits.
South Floridians react to Supreme Court rulings
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South Floridians reacted to the Supreme Court's rulings Wednesday, which overturned the federal Defense of Marriage Act and rejected the appeal of a California marriage ban.
"It's a great decision, but I just think that there's a lot of growth that Florida needs to overcome," said Melanie Alenier.
Statement From Nadine Smith, Executive Director, Equality Florida
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Today’s rulings are a major step forward for the country, but for Floridians they fall far short of justice and are more than anything a call to action.
For those of us who live in state’s like Florida where our marriages are still not recognized, today’s rulings are a reminder that we cannot wait for justice to be handed to us, we are going to have to get engaged and fight.
A majority of Floridians support the freedom to marry, and this is our moment to stand up and get engaged on the right side of history.