Advocates have filed another lawsuit this week in the ongoing fight for gay marriage in Florida.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida filed a lawsuit in federal court Wednesday night against state officials. The group is challenging the state’s refusal to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of eight Florida couples who got married out of state, as well as a gay rights organization based in Miami.
Baylor Johnson, a spokesman for the ACLU of Florida, said a gay marriage ban enshrined in Florida’s Constitution not only bans gay marriages in the state, but it also prohibits the recognition of marriages performed elsewhere.
“We believe that that is a violation of their rights that are guaranteed to them by the Constitution,” he said. “We believe that the promise, the commitment that people make to each other, the vows that they share when they get married, shouldn’t become more weak in the eyes of the law based on where they are geographically. We believe that is unfair, and we hope that the judge agrees.”
Johnson says the plaintiffs in the case include war veterans, fire fighters and teachers. Most have been married for a while and are currently unable to share health insurance, survivor’s benefits and other legal protections.
This latest lawsuit names Governor Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and other state officials, as the defendants.
