Law On Same-Sex Marriages Targeted

Tallahassee, FL - Six years after same-sex marriages began in Florida, a House Democrat on Monday (January 4th) filed a bill that would delete a ban on such marriages from state law. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle in 2014 ruled that Florida’s same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional, and same-sex marriages began in the state in January 2015. Cementing Hinkle’s decision, the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2015 ruled that same-sex couples have a fundamental right to marry. But a law has remained on the state’s books that, in part, defines marriage as “only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.” While the law is not enforceable, the Legislature has not eliminated it. On Monday, Rep. Michele Rayner, D-St. Petersburg, filed a bill (HB 6017) that would repeal the section of state law. The bill is filed for consideration during the annual legislative session, which will start March 2.