Anti-Gay Florida AG Will Fight Two Cases Attempting To Topple Same-Sex Marriage Ban

Florida’s conservative, thrice-married, anti-gay, Republican attorney general has announced she will now fight two state court lawsuits aimed at overturning the Sunshine State’s ban on same-sex marriage. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi last night announced she will now be representing the State of Florida by intervening in two cases aimed at overturning a ban on same-sex marriage. Bondi came under harsh criticism last month when she claimed in a federal court filing that same-sex marriage would “impose significant public harm” and play havoc with existing marriage laws in the Sunshine State. 

As The New Civil Rights Movement reported early this month, Bondi also suggested that same-sex couples don’t create stable or enduring homes.

“Florida’s marriage laws,” Bondi wrote in the federal court filing (PDF), “have a close, direct, and rational relationship to society’s legitimate interest in increasing the likelihood that children will be born to and raised by the mothers and fathers who produced them in stable and enduring family units.”

Bondi, 48, is on her third marriage.

This morning the Tampa Bay Times reported on Bondi succumbing to right-wing pressure.

Conservative activists hailed Bondi’s response to the federal lawsuit, but had been critical of her for not defending the state right-to-marry cases.

John Stemberger, president of the conservative Florida Family Action in Orlando, praised Bondi. “The most important thing is that if the judge were to grant a motion and find a new-found right to marry, which does not exist, then the attorney general would be in a position to enjoin that until the federal case plays out,” he said Tuesday.

Elizabeth Schwartz, an attorney in the Miami-Dade case of six same-sex couples who have sued to marry, said Bondi should be defending the rights of same-sex couples.

“It’s also her job to make sure that citizens of her state are not discriminated against. And courts throughout the country have resoundingly found that the ban against marriage equality discriminates against gay and lesbian people,” she said.

Nadine Smith, CEO of Equality Florida issued a strong statement last night.

“It is disappointing that at a time when attorneys general and governors across the country are refusing to defend these discriminatory marriage bans, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has decided to pour state resources into defending the indefensible. In decisions by judges appointed by both Democrats and Republicans, court after court has determined that barring loving same sex couples from marriage is unconstitutional, and we look forward to hearing from Florida’s courts in the near future. This latest development shows just how out of touch Pam Bondi and the Rick Scott administration are with the majority of Florida voters.”

 

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