Florida voters pass gay marriage amendment

ORLANDO, Fla.--Amendment two, which at it's core sought to protect the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman only, passed in Florida Tuesday Nov.4 with 63 percent of the vote.

On the ballot, the amendment read: "Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized."

Opponents argued that the wording of the amendment was unclear and could cause problems for both same-sex and heterosexual couples in domestic partnerships, potentially deeming such relationships invalid.

Dr. John Corvino, one of the nation's leading voices in support of same-sex marriage said Tuesday: "I'm disappointed in the decision, which will not only prevent marriage equality for gays and lesbians but also strip away health insurance and other benefits attached to domestic partnerships." Corvino recently came to Valencia to present his views concerning same-sex marriage. He also said of the decision, "Obviously, there is still much work to be done to show that there's room enough in the world for gay and lesbian love and commitment."

Under Florida law, same-sex marriage is already illegal. However supporters said that the amendment would prevent court rulings allowing same-sex marriage in the state, a situation seen in Massachusetts, California and Connecticut.

Glenn Stanton, who presented the Valencia debate along with Corvino, is a nationally recognized, leading voice in opposition to same-sex marriage. He said of the vote:"This was very much the right decision because it was the citizen's of Florida, my home state, declaring that marriage should be what it has been in all human cultures at all times, a societally valued institution that brings together the two parts of humanity: male and female." Stanton added that: "It doesn't leave this important decision up to a handful of unaccountable judges like we have seen in MA, CA and CT. Amendment two let the people speak and they did."

Supporters of Amendment two gathered for an election watch party Tuesday night at the First Baptist Church of Central Florida. The official "Yes2marriage" campaign advocates stayed well into the night to hear the result they had been waiting for.

Jennifer Lightfoot, co-ordinator of the Orange County official campaign in support of Amendment two, said Tuesday: "We are really excited at this outcome. We fought a long and hard battle." Lightfoot added that the "support was overwhelming" and that over four million Floridians had voted in support of the amendment.

In response to the opposition's argument that the amendment was unnecessary, Lightfoot said: "We are not here to take away benefits, only to define marriage as between one man and one woman."

Florida voters were not the only ones deciding whether to put a marriage clause into their constitution Tuesday. Voters in California and Arizona had to decide similar questions, and early results showed that in both state's same-sex marriage looked set to be totally banned.

As it stands, more than 40 states have laws defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. A total of 27 define marriage in their constitutions.