Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is
calling on Floridians to back gay marriage.
Ros-Lehtinen, a longtime supporter of
gay rights, made her plea in a Miami Herald op-ed co-written
by Jonathan Kislak, a Miami executive.
“As Republicans, we are united in our
common conservative ideals of limited government, open and fair
markets and allegiance to the family values that nurture a healthy
and functional society,” Ros-Lehtinen
and Kislak wrote. “When government acts in ways that affect
individual freedoms, we believe it should strive to promote personal
responsibility, commitment to honorable behavior and stability and
opportunities for families. Thus, ensuring every individual's civil
freedom to marry the person they love is a basic component to the
pursuit of happiness.”
“In light of the court's rulings in
support of civil marriage for same-sex couples, Florida should begin
to evaluate the decision that was made five years ago. The path to
removing our state's ban on the freedom to marry will be very
challenging, and will take time to do so thoughtfully and with
respect for everyone's beliefs and opinions. It is wrong to deny
LGBT Floridians the basic rights enjoyed by so many other Americans.
We must actively, and authentically, engage our fellow citizens to
ensure that the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution are
extended to all Floridians.”
“Our nation has taken a number of
historic strides towards equality, from the repeal of the military's
'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy to this recent repeal of DOMA. Much
work remains to secure maximum freedoms under the law for all our
citizens, but when we look back on these efforts, we will be proud to
have been on the right side of history.”
Momentum for marriage equality in
Florida is building. Supporters have launched a
campaign for a 2014 ballot question and are considering
a legal challenge to the state's 2008 voter-approved
constitutional amendment limiting marriage to heterosexual unions.