Anti-gay activist John Stemberger has
criticized an appeals court's decision which most likely paves the
way for gay couples to begin marrying in Florida next month.
A 3-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit
Court of Appeals on Wednesday refused
to block implementation of a lower court's ruling ordering
Florida to begin issuing marriage licenses and recognizing the
out-of-state marriages of gay couples starting on January 6. Florida
officials can appeal to the Supreme Court.
Stemberger, president of the Florida
Family Policy Council, strongly lobbied for passage of Florida's ban.
He lamented Wednesday's decision in a Facebook post.
“The court today is wrong,” he
wrote. “The courts will never have the final word on an
institution as fundamental to the human experience as marriage. You
simply cannot build a civilization without natural marriage.”
He added that allowing gay couples to
marry would harm children and vowed to “never give up on this
issue” even “if it takes 20, 30, or 50 years.”
“Today, we grieve … for the
children who now have no chance of growing up with both a mom and a
dad. We mourn the loss of a culture and its ethical foundation. We
mourn for a culture that continues to turn its back on timeless
principles.”
“We may grieve today, but we will not
despair. We will not throw in the towel. We will not give up,” he
said.
In July, Stemberger said that he was
prepared to lay
down his life fighting to keep the ban.