Gay
rights
supporters
in
Florida
who
are
fighting
a
constitutional
amendment
to
ban
gay
marriage
there
are
looking
to
Arizona
for
help.
Last
November,
Arizona
voters
narrowly
defeated
a
same-sex
marriage
ban,
with
51.4
percent
rejecting
it
and
48.6
supporting
it.
The
state
remains
the
only
one
in
the
nation
to
reject
a
constitutional
gay
marriage
ban.
Florida
gay
rights
activists
hope
to
make
their
state
the
second
to
defeat
such
an
amendment
when
it
goes
on
the
ballot
this
November.
One
of
the
150
organizations
leading
the
charge
is
Florida
Red
and
Blue,
a
bipartisan
coalition
of
local
and
national
individuals
dedicated
to
defeating
the
amendment.
Its
members
have
raised
more
than
$1
million
from
375
donors
in
two
months,
according
to
a
statement
from
the
group.
Some
75
percent
of
the
donations
were
from
Floridians,
who
contributed
anywhere
from
$2
to
$250,000.
More
than
a
third
of
the
contributors
were
self-identified
as
Republicans.
The
group’s
advisory
board
includes
representatives
from
churches,
businesses
and
advocacy
organizations,
including
the
ACLU,
and
Florida
U.S.
Reps.
Kendrick
Meek
and
Robert
Wexler.
Heading
up
Florida
Red
and
Blue
is
board
chair
Jon
Kislak,
former
finance
chair
for
former
Rep.
Clay
Shaw.
Other
board
members
include
Bob
Farmer,
former
national
treasurer
for
the
presidential
campaigns
of
Michael
Dukakis,
John
Kerry
and
Bill
Clinton,
and
Heddy
Pena,
executive
director
of
Safeguarding
American
Values
for
Everyone.
“Floridians
of
all
stripes
are
concerned
that
government
intrusion
into
their
private
lives
may
be
written
into
the
Constitution,”
said
Kislak.
“This
proposed
amendment
carries
numerous
unintended
consequences
that
are
hidden
from
view
—
including
the
loss
of
health
insurance
and
the
loss
of
hospital
visitation
rights
for
unmarried
senior
citizens.
In
short,
this
amendment
is
a
catastrophe
for
Floridians,
especially
unmarried
couples.”
John
Stemberger,
chair
of
the
conservative
group
Florida
4
Marriage,
told
local
newspapers
his
organization
expects
to
have
the
611,009
signatures
needed
to
put
the
initiative
on
the
ballot
within
the
next
month.
Stemberger
didn’t
return
calls
from
the
Blade,
but
told
the
Miami
Herald,
“The
only
way
[Florida
Red
and
Blue]
can
win
is
to
be
deceptive.
They
can’t
argue
gay
marriage
because
they
will
lose.”
Campaign
finance
records
show
Florida
4
Marriage
has
raised
$438,613
in
total,
which
includes
a
$300,000
donation
from
the
Florida
Republican
Party.
News
reports
said
Florida
Gov.
Charlie
Crist,
who
has
denied
rumors
that
he
is
gay,
denounced
the
party’s
donation,
which
was
made
prior
to
his
election
as
governor.
“I
think
the
funds
at
the
party
could
be
better
utilized,”
he
said.
“Like
for
winning
elections.”
The
governor
may
have
distanced
himself
from
Florida
4
Marriage’s
campaign,
but
he
also
is
not
necessarily
endorsing
the
fight
against
the
amendment.
Nadine
Smith,
executive
director
of
Equality
Florida,
said
she
thinks
he
is
beginning
to
understand
its
“far-reaching
harm
and
consequences.”
“He
realizes
it
does
much
more
than
affirm
existing
laws,”
she
said.
“His
position
is
evolving
on
it.
He
signed
before
a
Michigan
court
said
it
took
away
protections.
That
was
a
wakeup
call
for
a
lot
of
people
who
are
now
saying,
‘What
is
this
thing
and
what
are
they
really
up
to?’”
Marriage
equality
supporters
say
that
in
order
to
defeat
a
state
amendment,
it
takes
a
strategy
that
incorporates
broad-based
support,
money
and
plenty
of
lead
time.
Smith
and
Barbara
McCullough-Jones,
executive
director
of
Equality
Arizona,
say
there
were
many
reasons
why
Arizona
voters
rejected
the
amendment,
but
they
agreed
a
smart
strategy
of
coalition-building,
money
and
time
tipped
the
Arizona
vote
and
can
do
the
same
for
Florida.
“We
did
significant
research
on
the
messaging,”
McCullough-Jones
said.
“Our
investment
was
huge
in
time
and
money.
For
example,
the
money
for
focus
groups,
polling
and
time
to
interpret
the
results,
and
to
put
the
strategy
into
play.
Equality
Florida
picked
up
on
the
message
and
started
early.”
McCullough-Jones
said
her
state
also
used
a
broad-based
coalition
of
groups
and
organizations,
including
the
ACLU,
unions
and
local
business,
to
get
out
the
message.
The
campaign
emphasized
how
the
amendment
could
go
beyond
limiting
marriage
to
a
man
and
a
woman
and
affect
all
unmarried
couples,
regardless
of
sexual
orientation.
