Charlie Crist, who is campaigning for a
second term as Florida's governor, this time as a Democrat, on
Wednesday pledged that if elected he would back a legislative effort
to legalize gay marriage in Florida.
Appearing at a campaign fundraiser held
at the home of Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Dean Trantalis, who is
openly gay, Crist, 57, said that the Democratic Party was growing in
Florida because his former party, the Republican Party, has “lost
its way.”
The Miami Herald's Steve Rothaus
asked Crist what he would do as governor to expand LGBT rights.
“One of the most important things we
can do is get a law on the books in Florida that recognizes the kinds
of things that President Obama is talking about. Why not have
marriage equality throughout our country? Certainly, we ought to
have it in Florida,” Crist answered.
“I believe that, if we win this
election on November 4th, and we get some other
progressives elected in the Florida House and Florida Senate, then
we're going to have a great opportunity to get that done. I look
forward to the day we do.” (The video is embedded on this page.
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In 2008, Crist backed passage of
Florida's constitutional amendment limiting marriage to heterosexual
couples, a decision he's since called “a mistake.”
Two lawsuits challenging Florida's ban
are currently pending.
(Related: Eight
gay couples sue to force Florida to recognize their marriages.)