California’s gay marriage showdown has been getting a lot of press lately, but let’s not forget a similar battle’s brewing in Florida, where social conservatives introduced Amendment 2 earlier this year. That measure would ban gay marriage in the Sunshine State.
And, financially speaking, things are looking good for the pro-gay parties:
…The money has been streaming in. Lots of it. As of last week, Florida Red & Blue, which is against the amendment, had raised more than $2 million in cash. That’s more than four times what the competition, Florida4Marriage, has earned.
…
Overall, the majority of Florida Red & Blue’s money has come from individuals. Florida4Marriage’s funds, on the other hand, are mostly via the Republican Party of Florida, which gave $300,000 of the total $492,969. “There just isn’t a lot of support there to pass it,” says Derek Newton, campaign manager for Florida Red & Blue.
In a surprising turn of events, one of Florida Red & Blue’s biggest contributors is Jon Kislack, a straight Republican who’s fighting Amendment 2 for his daughter, who’s a lesbian. Said Kislack, “It’s just not right that our laws, public policy, and social climate in Florida are so unwelcoming.”
Al
Easy for California to overturn a ban on gay marriage, they’re progressive and liberal. Florida is a Republican-dominated red state. I don’t see it happening anytime soon.