Gay marriage ban ends as couples wed throughout Florida

In several Southern states surrounding Florida, gay marriage bans remain in place. That puts Florida — a state much changed since the 1970s, when former beauty pageant queen and orange juice industry spokeswoman Anita Bryant started her national campaign against gay rights in the 1970s — in a position to serve as a destination for gay and lesbian couples looking to wed.

While the end of the ban was met with cheers or shrugs from Florida's more liberal enclaves, political and cultural divisions remain in the battleground state — especially farther north, where more-conservative Floridians live.

In Jacksonville, Duval County Court Clerk Ronnie Fussell shut down the courthouse chapel, saying no marriage ceremonies — gay or straight — would be allowed. At least two other northeastern Florida counties did the same.

"The day is going to come very soon where America is going to wake up and say, 'Whoa! Wait a second. I wanted two guys to live together. I didn't want the fundamental transformation of society,'" said John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy council. He led the petition drive to put the gay marriage ban on the ballot in 2008.

There were no such obstacles in Key West, Florida's southernmost point. Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones were the Keys' first same-sex couple to receive a marriage license early Tuesday. They exchanged nuptials in matching black tuxedos with blue vests, in front of several hundred people on the Monroe County Courthouse steps.

After their vows, Jones removed a large silver-toned bracelet from his left wrist. He called it "my shackle of inequality." He said, "I'm elated, overjoyed that I am finally legally recognized with the man I have loved for 12 years now." 

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is still pursuing appeals at state and federal levels. She wants to uphold the ban voters approved in 2008.

However, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and then the U.S. Supreme Court refused her request to extend an order blocking same-sex marriages beyond Monday. That essentially gave the green light to same-sex weddings.

On Friday, U.S. Supreme Court justices will decide in private whether to rule on the merits of gay marriage during their current term.

Bondi shares her position — that marriage should be defined by each state — with Florida’s former Gov. Jeb Bush, who is considering a run for the Republican nomination for president.

But even Bush tried to find middle ground on Monday. He issued a statement urging people to "show respect for the good people on all sides of the gay and lesbian marriage issue, including couples making lifetime commitments to each other who are seeking greater legal protections and those of us who believe marriage is a sacrament and want to safeguard religious liberty."

The political divide hardly bothered the couples celebrating in much of Florida on Monday and Tuesday. Churches held mass weddings for same-sex couples, as did several cities and counties at courthouses or city halls.

More than 40 couples were married on Tuesday morning on the red-carpeted steps outside Orlando's City Hall. A four-tiered wedding cake featured a rainbow-colored bottom layer, and the Orlando Gay Chorus sang "Over the Rainbow." Many couples were accompanied by their young children.

"We wanted to marry on this historic day," said Brandon Walker-Hodge, who held 5-week-old daughter Karaleigh Ruth as he exchanged vows with Josh Walker-Hodge. "And really, it's all about her at this point and everything that comes with the legality of marriage."

In Palm Beach County, celebrity financial adviser Suze Orman showed up at a mass courthouse wedding to support two friends. Orman, who married Kathy Travis a decade ago in South Africa, said she is happy same-sex couples are finally being recognized legally in Florida, where she lives part time.

"This is an investment in validity," she said.

The Associated Press