A Florida judge will hear arguments on
July 2 in a lawsuit challenging Florida's ban on gay marriage.
Judge Sarah Zabel of the Eleventh
Judicial Circuit Court in Miami will preside over the hearing.
Florida voters in 2008 approved
Amendment 2, which prohibits the state from recognizing the
relationships of gay couples with civil unions or marriage.
Plaintiffs in the case – six gay
couples and Equality Florida Institute – are being represented by
the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and the law firm
Carlton Fields Jorden Burt.
“Today the majority of Floridians
stand with us, as there is no reasonable argument for discrimination
against our families,” Nadine Smith, CEO of Equality Florida
Institute, said in a statement. “Throughout the nation, courts
have ruled that these harmful laws are outdated and out of step, and
we believe that equality and justice will prevail in Florida, as
well.”
The lawsuit argues that Florida's laws
barring same-sex couples from marriage violate the U.S. Constitution.
According to a 2012 Washington Post
poll, a
majority (54%) of Floridians support marriage equality, while 33
percent remain opposed.