NOM's Brian Brown: Florida Should Ignore Gay Marriage Ruling

Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), has called on Florida officials to ignore a federal judge's ruling striking down the state's ban on gay marriage.

On Tuesday, gay couples throughout Florida began exchanging vows as it became the 36th state where gay couples can marry.

Brown called the ruling – whose implementation the Supreme Court refused to stop – “illegitimate.” and called on officials to turn away gay couples wishing to marry.

“It is simply illegitimate for the opinion of a federal district judge to trump the decision of millions of Floridians and attempt to redefine marriage in violation of Federal law,” Brown said in a blog post. “Federal judges are acting as if the US Supreme Court has ordered same-sex marriage to be imposed, but in reality the Court has ruled that states have the right to define marriage. We demand that the US Supreme Court act immediately to review the pending marriage case before them and swiftly reaffirm that states have the right to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The US Supreme Court has never ruled that traditional marriage is unconstitutional. In fact, they have specifically ruled that states have the right to define marriage.”

“It is a travesty of justice that states are allowing federal judges to single-handedly decide the laws of marriage. Florida officials should not go along with this illegitimate decree and should demand that state and local officials continue to enforce the marriage amendment that was overwhelmingly adopted by Florida voters in 2008,” he added.

The Day Anita Cried

Marriages of gay couples began in the state of Florida yesterday, leaving only 14 American states that do not permit gays to marry.

70% of Americans now live in states in which “gay marriage” is legal.

A judge in Florida recently struck down the state’s gay marriage ban. And in spite of the best efforts of Republican politicians, the civil rights victory refused to be overturned.

It’s been an amazing 18 months since the Supreme Court issued its momentous decision in US v. Windsor, which opened the door for gay marriage victories nationwide.

As the Washington Post notes, “when the court heard oral arguments about California’s Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 2013, only nine states and the District allowed such unions.”

Nine states. Now we have 36 states (and DC). That’s a landslide.

The victory in Florida is an especially exciting win for gay rights advocates as Florida was the scene of one of the most bitter battles in American gay rights history, when singer and former Florida orange juice spokeswoman Anita Bryant organized the successful repeal of Dade County, Florida’s new ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. After winning in Florida, Bryant then went national, and led several battles across the country against gay rights.

I’ll let Ms. Bryant speak for herself:

“As a mother, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children; therefore, they must recruit our children” and “If gays are granted rights, next we’ll have to give rights to prostitutes and to people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nail biters.”

In response, gay rights advocates launched a nationwide boycott of Florida orange juice. Bryant was also famously hit by a pie in the face during an anti-gay press conference in Iowa in 1977:

So Anita, this month is for you.

By Letting Weddings Start In Florida, The Supreme Court Just Made It Clear That Marriage Equality Is A Done Deal

On the surface, it seems like just one more piece of really good news. On Friday night, the Supreme Court refused to stop marriage equality in Florida, which means that weddings can start on Jan. 6. That’s a big deal for a lot of reasons: Florida is one of the most populous states without marriage equality, same-sex marriage is now officially in place in the South (following the Carolinas, and the inevitability of marriage equality is now stronger than ever. It’s also a thumb in the eye for Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, the thrice-married Republican who has made a career out of blocking marriage equality (and concomitantly making incredibly dopey statements).

But the ruling goes far beyond Florida. The Supreme Court just essentially signaled that marriage equality is a settled issue.

In this case, at issue before the court was a request to put a hold on the awesome ruling by Judge Robert Hinkle that struck down Florida’s marriage ban. Usually, such requests are submitted to the Supreme Court justice responsible for the region. This time, however, the entire court considered the request for a stay. And in a telling action, only two justices–Antonin Scalia (of course) and Clarence Thomas–would have taken the request.

That means seven justices let marriage equality take effect in Florida, including two–Chief Justice John Roberts and Samuel Alito–who dissented from the Supreme Court’s Windsor ruling.

Now, it’s entirely possible that Roberts and Alito saw the request as a narrow legal issue that the Court had no reason to get involved with. But in general they’re not especially willing to place legal reasoning above political ideology. Apparently, they don’t object to marriage equality on legal principle, or at least not enough to try to stop it in its tracks. If they wanted to take a stand, this would have been the chance. Instead, they took a pass.

Which is a pretty strong signal that the majority feels that the issue is largely settled. Because there are conflicting rulings, the Court will have to weigh in on the issue at some point. They have a chance to take it up again next month, having punted earlier this fall. 

But there can be little doubt what the ultimate ruling will be, particularly after the Florida ruling. There are only 14 states remaining now that ban marriage equality (although marriage is on hold in six states due to appeals). By the time the Supreme Court finally weighs in, it will be anti-climactic.

Even Pam Bondi knows when she’s defeated. In a statement she said she won’t try to stop marriages from starting. Heaven knows, she’s started a few of her own already.

Report Finds Florida Schools Unsafe for LGBT Students

A national organization found that LGBT students are not safe in most schools in the state of Florida and they did not have access to necessary resources.

The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network conducted the study across the country in 2013 and presented its findings from 29 states. Of the nearly 8,000 LGBT students surveyed (most in public schools), 410 were attending Florida schools.

According to the study, more than 90 percent of students heard the word "gay" used in a negative way, more than 80 percent heard other students make negative comments about LGBT people, and more than 60 percent heard others say negative things about transgender people. These numbers were higher than the national average.

Numbers were lower for students who experienced harassment toward them directly. About 30 percent said they were physically harassed because of being gay and 10 percent said they had been physically assaulted. Students were more likely, however, to experience online bullying, being left out of activities, having items stolen, or had mean things spread around school about them.

Not only were the numbers regarding their fellow students disturbing, but also school staff. While many students were able to identify a teacher or administrator who was supportive of LGBT people, about 25 percent of students said they heard school staff say anti-LGBT remarks.

Other forms of discrimination were found across the country. For example, students shared their experiences of not being allowed to bring a same-sex date to a school dance, being disciplined for showing affection to a person of the same sex, or not being allowed to wear the clothes they wanted to wear. In schools where LGBT students had these negative experiences, or did not have the support of school staff, they were more likely to miss school and have a lower GPA.

GLSEN noted that because Florida's students were experiencing high levels of harassment, it would be beneficial for schools to incorporate LGBT people into anti-bullying campaigns, support gay-straight alliances, educate school staff on LGBT issues, and for students to have better access to LGBT resources in their curriculum.

"These actions can move us toward a future in which all students in Florida will have the opportunity to learn and succeed in school," according to a press release.

State of Florida tells gay married couple to change their names or lose the right to drive

A Florida gay couple who took each others’ surnames after they married in New York have been ordered by their state’s DMV to change their names back to what they were before they were married or their drivers licenses will be cancelled,

A Florida gay couple who married out of state are in shock this week after they were sent a letter by the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) telling them they would have their drivers licenses cancelled if they did not change their legal names.

Daniel and Scott Wall-Desousa became one of the first gay married couples in Florida to legally take each others’ surnames and appeared on WFTV 9News to speak about that on 30 October.

However after they told viewers about how they had used their New York state marriage license to have their social security documents changed to reflect their new hyphenated surname at two different Florida DMV offices they were warned they would lose their right to drive on 22 November if they did not change their names back by that date.

This puts the Wall-Desousas in a very difficult position as all of their federal documents already bear their new names, including their social security cards, voter ID cards and work badges.

‘Everything has been changed to my benefits, to my Florida pension. How does one undo all that?’ Daniel Wall-Desousa asked WFTV 9News.

Scott Wall-Desousa said that they had been told in the DMV offices that clerks had been told not to question it if gay couples with an out of state same-sex marriage certificate and a request for a name change.

‘[They said] it is a “don't ask, don't tell” policy, and I guess we have been told, here is the repercussion,’ he said.

The couple hope the DMV won’t carry out its threat to cancel their licenses and plan to launch a lawsuit in the meantime as they feel they are being unfairly targeted.

The letter was sent to them only a week after their TV appearance so the couple don’t think the timing is a coincidence.

Ironically the letter from the DMV was addressed to both men using their hyphenated surname.

A US federal court ruled Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional on 21 August this year.

However that decision has been stayed pending appeals by the state of Florida.

Florida’s Scott on minimum wage: ‘How would I know?’

For the second time in five days, Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) faced off in a televised debate against former Gov. Charlie Crist (D), and this time, the incumbent didn’t hide backstage over the use of an electric fan. Then again, given how the debate went, maybe he should have.

The two covered quite a bit of ground over the course of the hour, but one of the more memorable exchanges came on the issue of the minimum wage. Moderator Jake Tapper raised a question of increasing importance in contemporary Republican politics: whether the minimum wage should exist.

TAPPER: Governor Scott, you have said that you oppose raising the minimum wage because you think it would be a job killer. Clarify something for Florida voters, do you support the principle of a minimum wage? Do you support the concept of a minimum wage?

SCOTT: Sure. 

TAPPER: What should it be?

SCOTT: How would I know? I mean, the private sector decides wages.

It’s amazing to see this issue trip up so many Republican governors. Just over the last week or so, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) stumbled, saying about the minimum wage, “I don’t think it serves a purpose.” Yesterday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) told powerful corporate allies that he’s annoyed by the debate itself. “I gotta tell you the truth: I’m tired of hearing about the minimum wage,” Christie said. “I really am.”

But in Florida, Rick Scott seems more confused than his GOP brethren. Asked if he supports the minimum wage on a conceptual level, the governor said, “Sure.” But asked what that wage should be, Scott says that’s up to the private sector – in the process making the case against minimum wage on a conceptual level.

Given how popular a minimum-wage increase is, and the number of Floridians struggling in low-paying jobs, it’s remarkable the governor and his aides didn’t have a better response prepared for this perfectly sensible question.

The other moment that stood out for me was an incident from last year in which the state of Florida had scheduled the execution of a convicted murderer. The execution was delayed, however, because Rick Scott agreed to let state Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) postpone the sentence so she could attend a campaign fundraiser instead.

Crist reminded Floridians about this last night, making the case that the current governor just doesn’t take his responsibilities seriously enough.

CRIST: Well, let’s look at the facts. He has signed a lot of death warrants. I signed death warrants as well and it is the most solemn act a governor has to do as your governor. Knowing that your name on a piece of paper is going to result in the death of another human being, if that doesn’t make you think seriously about what is happening, nothing will.

But just this past year, an execution here in Florida was delayed by the governor so that the attorney general could go forward and have a political fundraiser.

Now, to me, and my way of thinking, that doesn’t sound like somebody is taking that solemn duty as seriously as they should. I don’t understand that.

Scott talked about praying before Florida executes people, which didn’t exactly answer the question. He then talked about his anguish of victims’ families, which also avoided the question. So Crist pressed on: “Did the attorney general ask you to delay the execution so she could go forward with her political fundraiser?”

Scott replied, “She asked me to delay it because it didn’t work on the dates that she thought it was going to be on.” It led to this exchange:

CRIST: Did you know it was for a political fundraiser? 

SCOTT: Charlie, she apologized. She apologized. What would you like her to do? 

CRIST: I didn’t ask about her. Did you know it was for a political fundraiser? 

SCOTT: She apologized, Charlie. What would you like her to do? 

CRIST: He doesn’t answer questions. Pleads the Fifth.

The incumbent might have been better off talking about the fan.

Charlie Crist says Fla. Gov. Rick Scott has no integrity

Republican-turned-Democrat former Gov. Charlie Crist said Tuesday that current Republican Gov. Rick Scott "has no integrity" and his policies are driven by "the almighty dollar."

Crist made the remarks while discussing his campaign to seek his old job with his new party during an hour-long interview with Associated Press reporters that covered education, the environment and claims by Scott.

The gubernatorial campaign has been one of the most negative in Florida history. Crist accused Scott of running a dishonest ad in which a man says he was swindled by Crist and Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein. Crist said Rothstein was a political donor who also gave money to the Republican Party of Florida and President George W. Bush, among others.

"Once we knew what he had done, we returned it all and my opponent in this race knows that. My opponent has not returned anything he took from you and they should," Crist said.

Scott was CEO of the Columbia/HCA hospital chain during a federal investigation into Medicaid fraud. After Scott stepped down, the company agreed to pay $1.7 billion in fines to settle the case. Scott spent millions of his own money to win office four years ago when he received less than half the votes cast.

"He won by like 1 percent after spending $75 million his company stole from all of us," Crist said.

"I have integrity, he does not," Crist said. "Let's talk about education, let's talk about the environment, let's talk about the Everglades, let's talk about the middle class that suffers."

The Associated Press also invited Scott for an interview, but he declined.

When told of Crist's remarks, Scott campaign spokesman Greg Blair said, "As Charlie realizes that no one is buying what he is selling, he is becoming increasingly angry and nasty in his personal attacks on the governor. From comparing Rick Scott to Al Capone, to calling him evil, to accusing the governor of killing Floridians, these are desperate statements from a desperate man."

On education, Crist said he wants to reduce the number of standardized tests in public schools and that he supports a merit pay system for teachers that involves principals and parents and not just test scores.

And while he previously supported the idea of charter schools, he said they now concern him.

"They have essentially become profit centers rather than learning centers. They're helping my opponent raise a lot of money and I think I've figured out why. They like making the money that they're making," Crist said. "A lot of what I see out of this administration is driven by the almighty dollar and it concerns me and it bothers me and we need to have schools become learning centers again."

Crist accused Scott of also doing nothing to help stop rising utility rates. Crist called for a greater emphasis on alternative energy sources.

"We ought to have more solar energy development in Florida and wind and they're standing in the face of it. They're trying to hold back the future. We're the Sunshine State. It makes no sense until you look at the fact that (power companies) have given him millions of dollars," Crist said.

Crist chose to run for Senate in 2010 instead of seeking a second term as governor. He entered the race as a Republican, but ended up running as an independent after falling behind in the GOP primary. He registered as a Democrat in 2012 and entered the governor's race nearly a year later.

Scott and Republicans have used the party switch against him, saying he is a political opportunist who can't be trusted.

"I haven't changed that much at all. What has changed politically over the last four or five years is my former party and it's been a titanic shift," Crist said. "Jeb Bush has said it better than I can ever say it, that today's Republican Party appears to be, if not actually is, anti-women, anti-minority, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, anti-education, anti-environment."

Florida school forces new student to wear ‘shame suit’ after skirt deemed too short

A 15-year-old teenager who moved from Seattle to Clay County, Florida was forced to wear an ill-fitting, brightly colored “shame suit” to classes after she unknowingly violated the school’s skirt-length policy on her first day.

The Washington Post reported that Miranda Larkin’s family moved to Florida just eight days before the first day of school. Larkin dressed for classes without realizing that her black skirt was an inch too short for Oakleaf High School’s dress code.

After first period, a teacher flagged her down and said, “Your skirt’s too short.”

The school’s dress code says that female students’ skirts can be no higher than three inches above the knee. Larkin’s was four, so she was sent to the school nurse’s office and told to put on a neon yellow oversized T-shirt and bright red sweatpants emblazoned with the words, “Dress code violation.”

“The school has said this is to embarrass you,”said Miranda to ABC News. “It’s supposed to embarrass you so you don’t do it again.”

Larkin’s mother, Dianna Larkin called the outfit a “shame suit.”

A representative of the school district told ABC that students who violate the dress code are allowed to choose one of three options; to have a parent bring them a change of clothes, to stay in their clothes and take in-school suspension or to put on the t-shirt and sweatpants.

Miranda Larkin said she was only offered one option, to put on the humiliating outfit.

Dianna Larkin feels that the school was out of line by making a private disciplinary matter into an exercise in public shaming.

“I feel that by putting a kid in an outfit that says what they did wrong across their chest and down their leg is taking their private records and making them public and that’s a clear violation of their privacy rights,” she said.

She has filed a complaint under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The Clay County School District told USA Today that the clownish outfit is a way of getting students who violate dress code back into class “as quickly as possible.”

A lawyer for the district said in a statement to USA Today that the kids should be happy they aren’t wearing prisoner orange, writing, “(The outfit) is not displaying a discipline record to the public. If we took off the words the other students would still know that the prison orange T-shirts were for dress code violations. I think that the practice is OK.”

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Attorney General Pam Bondi should end fight against same-sex marriage

From the Sun Sentinel:

Five times now, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has gone to court to vigorously defend the state constitutional amendment voters approved in 2008 to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

And five times, she's lost.

It's time for Bondi to stop wasting state resources and give up the fight.

Bondi's argument — that 62 percent of Florida voters supported the amendment, that marriage is meant to produce children, and that allowing same-sex marriage would "impose significant public harm" — is failing to pass constitutional muster.

Across our nation — including in Florida — about 30 state and federal judges appointed by both Republican and Democratic politicians have reached the same conclusion: same-sex marriage bans violate the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment, which guarantees due process and equal protection.

"The undeniable truth is that the Florida ban on same-sex marriage stems entirely, or almost entirely, from moral disapproval of the practice," U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle of Tallahassee said last week in ordering that the state recognize same-sex marriages, a ruling he temporarily stayed. "The institution of marriage survived when bans on interracial marriage were struck down, and the institution will survive when bans on same-sex marriage are struck down."

Bondi has until Sept. 22 to decide whether to appeal, but she may have to move more quickly on a second order that a coroner change — to "married" — the death certificate of a woman who was with her partner for 47 years and married four years. If Bondi fights this order, she will be seeking to deny survivor benefits to a woman who is caring for her late wife's elderly parents.

It's hard to see how Bondi can duck it. And it's hard to see how she can win.

Lately, Bondi's strategy has been to ask judges for a stay until the U.S Supreme Court again weighs in. But Thursday, that strategy was undercut when an appellate court said the Florida Supreme Court must decide by next month the case of a gay couple seeking a divorce.

Bondi could tell her political base she's fought the good fight. Sure, she'd anger social conservatives who believe homosexuality is an abomination before God. Consider the email a senior Becker & Poliakoff lawyer sent his South Florida law firm last week after Hinkle's ruling: "Today's reckless trashing of morality has been damaging on many fronts. For one, there has been a significant increase in sexually transmitted disease over the past few decades, with the gay plague of AIDS being a classic example. We would do well to heed the Proverbs 11:21 warning of our ultimate Judge: "Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished."

But public opinion is shifting, even among a large number of Republicans. A Pew Research Center poll in March found 52 percent of those aged 18 to 50 now support same-sex marriage, though that number drops to 27 percent among Republicans over age 50.

Yes, this is an election year, and older voters turn out in larger numbers, but Bondi is a darling in her party and far better funded than her Democratic opponent George Sheldon, a former secretary of the Department and Children & Families.

She could take a cue from former Gov. Jeb Bush, who despite his personal and religious convictions, finally gave up the fight to force-feed Terri Schiavo nine years ago, admitting he couldn't overturn a judge's order.

You've got to believe Bondi is tired of all the negative publicity. In waging this fight, she's sounded half-hearted at times, no matter her comments last week in Palm Beach: "This is me doing my job as attorney general. And I will continue to do that and if anybody wants me to moderate my message or stand for less, I have a message for them: I am just getting started."

Better if Bondi took a page from seven other state attorneys general, who've reviewed the same facts and dropped their appeals.

Consider how Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway put it: "There are those who believe it is my mandatory duty, regardless of my personal opinion, to continue to defend through the appellate process. However I came to the inescapable conclusion that if I did so, I would be defending discrimination and that I will not do. ... I'm also mindful of those in the business community who have reached out to me encouraging me not to appeal the decision. I agree that discriminatory policies hamper a state's ability to attract business, create jobs and develop a modern workforce."

If Pam Bondi truly believes in state's rights, she should stop trying to punt her judgment to the U.S. Supreme Court.

And if she truly believes in equality for all, she should follow the lead of other attorneys general and end her fight against same-sex marriage in the courts, including the court of public opinion.

For she is sure to lose. And history will not remember her fondly.

Fla. county wants to withhold tax dollars from being used to fight marriage rulings

Broward County, Fla., Commissioners on Tuesday approved a resolution supporting same-sex marriage, and are asking the county attorney to research ways to withhold taxpayer funding from the state that would be used in the appeals process.

WSVN-TV reports that the commissioners voted unanimously to oppose Florida’s same-sex marriage ban, and hope to send a message to Attorney General Pam Bondi by withholding county funds while the state fights rulings from four Florida counties that have declared the ban unconstitutional.

“We want to show that opposition not just by submitting a resolution, but by withholding our donor county dollars that are quite frankly right now going to Tallahassee to fund this appeal process with which we are adamantly opposed,” said Commissioner Stacy Ritter.

More in this report:

WSVN-TV - 7NEWS Miami Ft. Lauderdale News, Weather, Deco

While judges in four Florida counties – Palm Beach, Monroe, Miami-Dade and Broward – have overturned the ban, no marriage licenses have been issued to same-sex couples because Bondi has appealed the rulings.

Bondi, a Republican, said the state should defer to the U.S. Supreme Court to consider and rule on the issue, but commissioners say there is no guarantee the high court will undertake the matter.

Church Cancels Gay Man's Funeral - During His Wake

Could you imagine losing your son, with all the trauma that entails, and then being told at his wake -- as you're standing next to his body, no less -- that his funeral is being cancelled because he was gay?

That's exactly what happened to one grieving mother in Tampa, Florida, WFLA reports:

Julie Atwood was standing at her son's casket when the phone rang. The church where her son's funeral was scheduled to be held the next day decided to abruptly cancel the service, after the pastor learned the deceased was gay and his obituary listed a surviving "husband."

Atwood said she was told it would be "blasphemous" to hold the services at the church because her son, Julion Evans, 42, was gay. "It was devastating," she said. "I did feel like he was being denied the dignity of death." 

Evans' husband, Kendall Capers, says the pair were partners for 17 years and married last year in Maryland. Evans died at home after a 4-year battle with a rare illness called Amyloidosis, which destroys organs in the body.

After Evans' tragic death, his mother asked her pastor to preach the funeral service. He said he would, but that his church was not spacious enough to accommodate the hundreds of loved ones from across the country who were expected to attend. So they asked New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, which has larger facilities, for permission to hold Evans' funeral there.

The church agreed and the date was set... but the publication of Evans' obituary in the local paper changed everything. More, after the break.

Evans' obituary listed Capers as his husband -- because, of course, he was. But when New Hope parishioners saw that their church would be hosting the funeral of a married gay man, they called Pastor T.W. Jenkins to complain.

Jenkins decided that his church's commitment to marriage discrimination trumped its commitment to the grieving family of Julion Evans. Less than 24 hours before the funeral service was scheduled to begin -- as Julion's husband and family were standing at his casket, receiving mourners -- Pastor Jenkins called Atwood and told her that her son was no longer welcome at the church.

Jenkins says he performed this astonishingly cruel act because he's a "man of God":

"Based on our preaching of the scripture, we would have been in error to allow the service in our church," Jenkins said. "I'm not trying to condemn anyone's lifestyle [sic], but at the same time, I am a man of God, and I have to stand up for my principles."

The news sent the family scrambling. They did their best to make new arrangements and notify everyone, but some mourners didn't get the message in time, so they showed up at the wrong place and missed Evans' funeral.

Kendall Capers, Julion's widow, says he would have understood New Hope's position if they'd refused right away, but agreeing to host the funeral and then cancelling during the wake was "disrespectful."

"This is 2014, this is not the 60s or the 70s," Capers told WFLA. "So at the end of the day I just want his wrong-doing to be exposed."

Kendall Capers is a better soul than I. To use a funeral as a weapon of punishment against a gay man's family -- for his "sin" of living and loving openly -- is nothing short of reprehensible. I don't remember Jesus ever turning anyone away, but I guess "Pastor" Jenkins thinks he knows better than the teacher he claims to serve.

Words cannot convey the depth of my disgust.

WTVT's report on the controversy is below.

FOX 13 News

Fred Grimm proposes that twice-divorced Pam Bondi’s ban on gay unions is mindless, outmoded

With five divorces between the two of us, Pam Bondi and I aren’t exactly paragons of marriage stability.

Nothing in Florida law, however, would keep either one of us from denigrating that hallowed institution once again. The state would not object if, say, one or the other of us wandered into the Elvis Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.

No law or constitutional amendment denies us our sacred right to a marriage ceremony officiated by a gaudy Elvis impersonator, decked out in “memorable gold lamé” or a rhinestone-sequined jumpsuit. (I’ll let Pam decide.)

Florida goes along with most any kind of marriage as long as they entail two people, no matter how drunk, of the opposite sex. Even an Elvis-themed heterosexual marriage against the backdrop of a pink 1955 Cadillac convertible would be considered integral to “stable and enduring family units.”

That’s what marriage is all about in Florida, according to Attorney General Bondi’s office, defending the state’s prohibition against gay marriage — mommies and daddies to crank out kiddies.

Last week, Monroe Chief Circuit Judge Luis Garcia found Bondi’s argument wanting. He ruled that the ban was unconstitutional.

Bondi’s office quickly filed an appeal, triggering an automatic stay before gay folks in the Keys could apply for marriage licenses. (On Monday, Garcia denied a motion to lift the stay.) All Bondi is really accomplishing, as she fritters away our tax dollars in the appellate courts, is to postpone the inevitable.

Back in 2008, voters approved the ban after political demagogues warned that gay unions would somehow undermine traditional marriage. But with gay marriage now legal in 19 other states, there’s no longer any reason for Bondi’s lawyers to pad legal briefs with mushy speculation about the imagined horrors. We’ve now got 19 laboratories out there. If gay marriage was indeed detrimental to “traditional” man-woman marriage, Bondi ought to be able cite hard evidence.

Conservative religious groups added their own Amici Curiae briefs to the state’s defense of ban, citing Florida’s interest in the enterprise of baby-making. But Garcia noted “procreation has never been a qualification for marriage.”

Besides, the notion of the superiority of the heterosexual family seems ever more absurd with each awful revelation about the Florida Department of Children and Families’ failures to safeguard children in overwrought foster homes or troubled “traditional” family settings. It has been a long time since Ozzie and Harriet provided the marriage template in Florida.

John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council, was riled by Garcia’s ruling. “Every domestic partnership, every single civil union, every couple that cohabitates,” he insisted, “dilute and devalue marriage.”

That was the same Stemberger who attacked Bondi back back in 2011, when she was running in the Republican primary for attorney general. He said, “Personally, she has no children and lives with her 60-year-old eye doctor boyfriend.”

Bondi’s still childless, still living with her ophthalmologist boyfriend. And the notion that their relationship “dilutes and devalues marriage” is just as mean and mindless and outmoded as her own defense of the ban on gay marriage.

Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2014/07/fred-grimm-proposes-that-twice-divorced-pam-bondis-ban-on-gay-unions-is-mindless-outmoded.html#storylink=cpy

Busted!

Orange County deputies arrested on Friday the owner of a towing company who they say was illegally towing vehicles during the annual Gay Days celebration and appeared to target its attendees. The owner of ASAP Towing, Jason Combs, 44, has been charged with grand theft, failure to release vehicle, failing to maintain records, failure to post towing contracts, failure to notify the sheriff's office within 30 minutes of a tow and violating an Orange County ordinance. Deputies said Combs' arrest stems from numerous complaints against ASAP Towing for allegedly illegally towing vehicles from the Westwood Town Center June 5-9, which coincides with Gay Days. The celebration is hosted at the Doubletree Hilton across the street from the center at 10100 International Drive.

Combs has been charged with more than 100 counts of grand theft auto and is being held in the Orange County jail on a $51,000 bond.

Naked Hunks Steal 60 Hamburgers From Florida Restaurant

The hamburger bandits  (Source:Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers)

It's the Hamburglar gone wild!

Two naked college-age men, and a third who was wearing his underwear, were caught on surveillance footage breaking into a Florida restaurant Sunday, stealing 60 hamburgers, NewsPress.com reports.

"Dumb, dumber and dumbest," waitress Nancy Sansevieri of Doc's Beach House in Daytona, Fla., told the newspaper Wednesday.

The unknown hamburglars are still at large and local authorities say they're not sure if the nearly-naked dudes are residents of Southwest Florida or tourists. Police released the steamy photos of the suspects this week in hopes the public will recognize them.

The three men stole 60 hamburgers, three pounds of bacon, three red peppers and a paddleboard from Doc's Beach House around 3 a.m. Sunday. But the trio wasn't the brightest at covering up their crime - or they didn't really care.

The restaurant's surveillance caught the men and there are now 200 frame-by-frame photos of the suspects. In addition, Doc's Beach House's staff found a trail of red peppers about 100 yards away from the eatery near a beach bathhouse.

"They left a trail like Hansel and Gretel," Doc's waitress Shelly Isom told NewsPress.com. "One of them probably said after, 'Uh, guys, where did we leave our clothes?'"

According to the images released by Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers and Bonita Jet Ski and Parasail, a partner of Doc's, the men are athletically built and two are naked while a third is wearing white underwear. A number of the pictures show the suspects looking at a security camera and at one point one of them tries to turn it off, unaware there is another camera nearby. Two of them covered their face and genitals after seeing the camera.

Doc's general manager and vice president Lou Bangert said he's never seen a crime like this in the 27-years the restaurant has been open. He said criminals have broken in and stolen money, but none of them have been beefy hunks looking to steal beef.

According to News Press, the men never entered the front part of Doc's to steal money. The suspects were in the kitchen area and took the food from three coolers. Bangert said the men were in and out of the kitchen in five-minutes - they weren't messing around.

"When I saw the security footage, I said how is this guy not wearing any clothes?" he asked. "Then I said, 'Wait, it's not just one. There's three naked. That's what makes this funny."

Bonita Jet Ski's manager Kevin Nobis posted the photos to his company's Facebook page.

"I laughed a little bit when I saw the pictures," he said. "I'm just glad they didn't do more. Luckily, it was just minimal. I just think it was college-age kids who may have been drinking. The guys look like they are in good shape. They look like athletes. But it's hard to tell if they are tourists or locals."

Hate Group Attacks GOP House Rep For Backing Same-Sex Marriage

Earlier this week freshman GOP House Rep. David Jolly became the eighth sitting Republican member of Congress to endorse marriage equality. And the Florida Family Policy Council is ever so pissed at him. 

When you agree with this lower court's opinion, you also agree with his irresponsible claim that citizens in your district who passed the marriage amendment were motivated by "animus" or hatred toward gay-identified persons. Nothing could be further from the truth or more morally repugnant to us, as we all affirm the inherent dignity and value of every human being. We are profoundly disappointed in this announcement and now we can only wonder what other issues you might change your views on. Please know that we consider your reversal on this critical issue to be an act of cowardice and a betrayal to the very persons who worked extremely hard to get you elected to office. We call upon you to publicly apologize for this mistake and hold fast to your original position that states should define marriage as it has always been, the union of one man and one woman only. We also challenge you to not cower to the pressure, demands and intimidation of homosexual activists. Finally, we exhort you to be governed not by polls, politics and profits but instead to be governed by principle and what is in the best interest of children, families and the common good of society. Your future as the Congressman representing us in Florida's District 13 is counting on it.

The above was published by Charisma News, which recently declared that gay people are "possessed by putrid-smelling demons." But they have no animus for us. Nope.

Motion To Lift Stay On Florida Same-Sex Marriage Ban Denied

A motion asking Monroe County Circuit Judge Luis Garcia to lift a stay in his ruling that Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional has been denied, reports CBS Miami.

The motion was filed by Key West bartenders Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones.

Last week, Garcia ruled that the 2008 constitutional ban on same-sex marriage is discriminatory and violates gay people’s right to equal treatment under the law.

However, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who in May asked a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit seeking recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriages, filed a notice of appeal, staying the ruling.

Agreeing with Bondi, Garcia wrote:

“Based on decisions of the United States Supreme Court and other courts to stay proceedings in similar challenges, this court DENIES the Emergency Motion. The automatic stay, currently in place, shall remain in place until completion of appellate proceedings or until further order of the Court.”

Speaking to CBS Miami regarding his concerns about same-sex marriage, Auxiliary Bishop of Miami Peter Baldacchino said "our fear is that the implications of tampering with the language of marriage will have far-reaching implications that can hurt especially the vulnerable."

However, remaining positive, Huntsman said "whether is happens to tomorrow or if it doesn't, it's going to happen."

We'll see about that one!

Stemberger (right) is the head of the Florida Family Policy Council, the group behind the successful 2008 constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Anti-Bully Film Costs Florida Teacher His Job

At the conclusion of Kim Rocco Shields’ short film "Love Is All You Need?" Ashley, around twelve or thirteen years old, commits suicide by slashing her wrists in a bathtub. By the time her two moms find her, it’s too late. Ashley is gone. Moments earlier, Ashley had wiped the word "hetero" off her forehead, which the bullies at her school had written with a sharpie as they beat and taunted her.

Throughout the 19-minute film, Ashley struggles with her sexual identity as she’s brutally degraded by everyone who crosses her path. Parents, teachers, other students, it makes no difference, they all treat her the same.

All because Ashley is straight.

Shields’ brilliant film is taken from the real life experiences of kids who’ve been bullied. In reversing the sexual identity labels, the filmmaker creates a hauntingly nightmarish, ultimately heartbreaking fable, which underscores the brutal ugliness of bullying as no other film has.

"We created the film in order to help stop bullying, to help end prejudice," Shields said. "The film allows you to put the shoe on the other foot and really get a sense of what it’s like to be in that group of people who’ve been marginalized because of who they love."

Shields said that she was shocked that the film went viral, and that it’s having an impact.

The short film has received over 3 million hits on YouTube and has won many awards at film festivals. Now, as Shields actively raises funds to turn the film into a feature, she’s joined the campaign in defense of a Northern Florida teacher who lost his job for showing the film to students.

Florida Makes Off-Grid Living Illegal – Mandates All Homes Must Be Connected To An Electricity Grid

It’s no secret that an opposition to sustainable living exists. Earlier this year, Texas state brought several SWAT teams to a sustainable community and threatened to shut it down. Each one of the community members were initially handcuffed at gunpoint. It was called “The Garden of Eden Community,” and was totally self sustainable. You can read more about that here.

This time, it’s Robin Speronis that’s come under fire. She lives off the grid in Florida, completely independent of the city’s water and electric system. A few weeks ago, officials ruled her off-grid home illegal. Officials cited the International Property Maintenance Code, which mandates that homes be connected to an electricity grid and a running water source. That’s just like saying our dependency on corporations isn’t even a choice. The battle to live without most utilities has been ongoing for Robin, the self-sufficient woman has lived for more than a year and a half using solar energy, a propane camping stove and rain water.

In the end, she was found not guilty of not having a proper sewer or electrical system; but was guilty of not being hooked up to an approved water supply.

So what exactly is off grid living?

“It means living independently, mainly living independently of the utility companies. Providing your own power. It does not mean living in the stone age, it’s not about bush craft. It’s about generating your own power, your own water, dealing with your own waste. Probably as part of a community, not living on your own like a hermit. It’s also about being more self-reliant and being less dependent on the system. Perhaps realizing that the system isn’t really protecting us anymore and we have to look after ourselves.” - George Noory

Our potential as a human race is quite extraordinary, we just don’t realize it. Sustainable living is not about giving up a certain lifestyle, can still have all the modern amenities, design and beyond. Living off the grid wouldn’t be a problem, we have technologies that can generate over-unity power, we have technologies that can provide unlimited amounts of clean energy. I’m talking about free energy, which goes far beyond solar energy. We can have neighborhoods exactly like we do today, even better. They would be totally green, off the grid and self-sufficient.

The only problem with off the grid living is that corporations lose their ability to control others. With a completely self-sustaining life style, no body would ever have to work. What would happen then? Think about that for a moment. We would be free to expand and create, to discover our full potential as a race and move forward into the world of exploration and discovery, all the while living in harmony with nature, not against it.

We’ve accepted the monetary system, and deem it necessary for the proper function of society. Money doesn’t ever have to come in the way of necessity, we’ve just been made to believe that it does. It’s time for the human race to move past the concepts of competition and greed into one that benefits the whole.

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozled has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.” - Carl Sagan

The human race does not need to be dependent on these corporations. While we continue to feed this dependency, the planet continues to suffer. In order to move forward, we must start cooperating with each other, and realize just how much potential we have to create something magical and amazing. Bottom line, anybody who has the desire to live off-grid should not be hassled for it, it should be a free choice.

Florida Attorney General Seeks to Defend State's Same-Sex Marriage Ban

The attorney general of Florida, Pamela Bondi, has filed motions to defend the state's same-sex marriage ban in two cases before the courts that seek to challenge it. The cases were brought by same-sex couples who are suing county clerks who would not issue marriage licences to them.

From the Miami-Herald:

Allen Winsor, the state’s solicitor general, states in the motions filed in local courts that Florida has a legitimate interest in intervening in the cases since they represent a challenge to the 2008 state constitutional amendment that banned gay marriage.

Bondi is already defending the state in a federal lawsuit filed in north Florida. That legal challenge maintains the state is discriminating against gay couples by not recognizing same-sex marriages performed in states where they are legal.

The clerks in both counties, however, are not actively defending their case. 

In May of this year, Bondi asked a federal court judge to dismiss a case brought by eight same-sex married couples who wanted their out-of-state marriages recognized in the state. Bondi said that allowing same-sex marriage would "impose significant public harm." She late rdefended herself after her comments generated an uproar, saying "I'm simply doing my job."