(St Petersburg, FL, July 16, 2013) The historic Supreme Court rulings that struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and restored marriage equality to California have heightened the sense of inevitable victory nationwide and energized a community impatient to take action toward full marriage equality in every state as quickly as possible. National and state legal and political experts have worked together to create this analysis to help guide our shared enthusiasm and impatience for equality toward the best course to secure the freedom to marry.
The organizations that have participated in the drafting of this document are each pursuing coordinated programs and strategies to bring full marriage equality to Florida.
Growing Disparity
While we all celebrate the quantum leap forward the Supreme Court rulings represent, the disparity between the 30% of the population who live in states that afford same-sex couples full marriage protections and those who do not has become even more stark.
The urgency to take action is heightened for those who live in the 37 states that currently do not allow marriage for same-sex couples. Couples in those states will continue to be denied the respect and protections that come with marriage including the full set of federal protections even if they marry in another state.
Coordinated Strategy
Legal experts and community activists at the national and state level are exploring all the options for challenging those bans legislative action, ballot referendums, and legal challenges. There is no single approach, as each state faces a different political and legal environment. It is also important for advocates to work with their counterparts from other states so that there is a coordinated national strategy that best serves the interests of the entire community.
Florida’s Path Forward
Florida has changed dramatically since 2008, when just over 60 percent of voters embedded marriage discrimination into the constitution. Florida is a leader in the south, with 54% of voters in support of marriage for same-sex couples, according to a Public Religion Research poll. Another recent poll by Public Policy Polling showed 75% of Floridians now support providing all the benefits of marriage to gay couples either via marriage (37%) or civil unions (38%) while only 23% oppose same-sex couples having any legal protections at all.
Below is a summary of the potential paths to marriage equality in Florida and an assessment of the opportunities and challenges each presents.
Legislative Track
There is a general consensus that the Florida legislature, as it is currently comprised, is highly unlikely to take any action in support of marriage equality. However, we are seeing movement on other important protections for the LGBTQ community, including growing bipartisan support for a statewide non-discrimination bill and some form of relationship recognition. A younger group of legislators from both parties is pushing their leaders to take strong stands in support of LGBTQ rights, and the election of Florida’s first two out, gay legislators is also improving the climate in Tallahassee. We will continue to work in the capitol to build on that support and gain ground on both sides of the aisle.
Ballot Measure
Fundamental rights by their very nature should not be subject to a public vote. But in a state with a hostile legislature and a challenging legal path we must consider the possibility of returning to the ballot box to undo the harm.
Florida has particularly burdensome requirements to get a public referendum on a statewide ballot. Furthermore, while public opinion has shifted dramatically since the ban was added to the constitution in 2008, it has not moved sufficiently to clear the 60% favorable vote required in Florida for passage of a ballot measure. Even in 2012’s historic ballot victories in Maryland, Maine, and Washington, the side of marriage equality obtained nowhere near 60% of the vote. Statistical wizard Nate Silver predicts that support among Florida voters will only be at 52.9% in 2016 and will be just shy of 60% by 2020. But those numbers are based on no acceleration in the shift of public opinion. Rather than a rush to the ballot in 2014 with time, resources, turnout, and polling stacked against us, it is better to invest in the tried and proven public education campaign that has helped to accelerate the shift in public opinion in states where victories have been achieved. We can reassess how significantly those numbers have shifted after a solid year, leaving ourselves ample time to prepare for 2016 or 2018 as a more favorable time for taking the issue back to the ballot.
Legal Challenge
A lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Florida’s marriage ban may be the most viable immediate option in Florida but must be pursued with care. The wrong case poorly timed could do more harm than good. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit the federal appeals court with jurisdiction over Florida, Georgia, and Alabama is one of the most conservative appellate courts in the federal court system. That court has previously issued decisions that created very unfavorable precedent on the issue of LGBTQ discrimination. However, the Supreme Court’s recent decision in U.S. v. Windsor may provide a path to overcoming the unfavorable rulings in the Eleventh Circuit.
Potential Plaintiffs
Equality Florida has begun soliciting stories from Florida couples who have indicated a willingness to be potential plaintiffs in the legal challenge. Stories can be shared via www.GetEngaged.org, the website for Equality Florida’s campaign in partnership with Freedom to Marry to increase public support for marriage equality.
It is important to the legal case that the representative plaintiffs are willing to be public about their lives, have compelling stories that reflect their long-term commitment, and can provide examples of current, specific injuries or harm in areas most likely to bring the court to a positive decision, as a result of being denied the right to marry or being denied recognition of their marriage. In addition, it is helpful that plaintiff couples reflect the full diversity of LGBTQ Floridians.
Timing
With all of this in mind, we are asking the community work with us in implementing the best strategy and laying the necessary foundation for a successful legal challenge to Florida’s marriage ban.
Premature lawsuits filed by individuals without considering all of these factors could be very harmful to this effort. A federal appeals court is unlikely to revisit its own recent rulings, and an adverse decision could set the goal back for years or even decades.
ACTION
If you have questions, or if you want to be involved in the effort, please contact:
Equality Florida
Dan Benoit
Dan@eqfl.org
ACLU of Florida
Baylor Johnson
bjohnson@aclufl.org
To submit your story as a potential plaintiff or as part of a statewide public education campaign, visit www.GetEngaged.org.
ACLU of Florida, Daniel Tilley, LGBTQ Staff Attorney
Equality Florida, Nadine Smith, Executive Director
Lambda Legal, Beth Littrell, Staff Attorney
Mary Meeks, Civil Rights Attorney, Orlando
National Center for Lesbian Rights, Shannon Minter, Legal Director
Elizabeth Schwartz, LGBTQ Family and Estate Planning Lawyer, Miami
The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.