Comments on: Explore Barack Obama's America with a trip to multi-racial Miami http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9532.html/ PinkNews.co.uk Gay News (UK and world) from Pink News - all the gay news for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community in the UK and beyond- thegaynews from Pink News Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:03:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Florida expat http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9532.html/comment-page-1/#comment-37691 Florida expat Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:53:04 +0000 http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=9532#comment-37691 You are promoting travel to a state whose voters have just put into the constitution an amendment that bans not only gay marriage but also any similar arrangement? Promoting travel to a state, where if you are in a Canadian, Spanish or Dutch etc same-sex marriage or a UK civil partnership, you may now be refused access to your spouse/partner in a medical emergency as a matter of state law? Unlike California, where equality probably will come sooner or later, this is in the Florida constitution forever. It would require a 60 per cent vote to remove it, and that will not happen in 100 years. The only possibility of change is at the federal level. I would not hold my breath of that happening, as it's hardly going to be President Obama's or the Democrats' priority. And Obama won Florida (I'm glad he did) on the margin of increased turnout of black voters who also voted overwhelmingly to put the anti-gay amendment into the state constitution. Their votes were also the margin that enabled the amendment to meet its 60 per cent threshold this time. That's not to blame them only, only to point out how President Obama - an opponent of gay marriage himself - will read the election results. It is not safe for gay people to visit a state where discrimination is now enshrined in the constitution. You are promoting travel to a state whose voters have just put into the constitution an amendment that bans not only gay marriage but also any similar arrangement? Promoting travel to a state, where if you are in a Canadian, Spanish or Dutch etc same-sex marriage or a UK civil partnership, you may now be refused access to your spouse/partner in a medical emergency as a matter of state law?

Unlike California, where equality probably will come sooner or later, this is in the Florida constitution forever. It would require a 60 per cent vote to remove it, and that will not happen in 100 years.

The only possibility of change is at the federal level. I would not hold my breath of that happening, as it's hardly going to be President Obama's or the Democrats' priority. And Obama won Florida (I'm glad he did) on the margin of increased turnout of black voters who also voted overwhelmingly to put the anti-gay amendment into the state constitution. Their votes were also the margin that enabled the amendment to meet its 60 per cent threshold this time. That's not to blame them only, only to point out how President Obama – an opponent of gay marriage himself – will read the election results.

It is not safe for gay people to visit a state where discrimination is now enshrined in the constitution.

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]]> By: Simon http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9532.html/comment-page-1/#comment-37689 Simon Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:40:58 +0000 http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=9532#comment-37689 Sponsored by the Miami Chamber of Commerce?! Please don't put this kind of rubbish into my PinkNews newsletter again! Sponsored by the Miami Chamber of Commerce?! Please don't put this kind of rubbish into my PinkNews newsletter again!

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