Gay Marriage as Florida Political Issue - Essay Example

Local Political Issue Introduction Florida is one of the fifty s in the United s of America situated between the Mexican Gulf and the Atlantic. A political issue refers to issues that are related to politics, society, the system or the environment depending on public views. Gay marriage is one of the contentious issues in the state of Florida that has aroused political debate. Gay marriage refers to marriage between two people of the same sex. Gay marriage has been legalized in most states of American. Florida, however, is one of the states that banned gay marriage (Murray, 2010). The issue is important as it drew several court cases which termed the ban as unconstitutional. The county through their attorney general appealed the court ruling in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court however, has recently withdrawn from the case thus leaving the federal court ruling intact. It is also important because it has become a political issue. It was one of the key topics during a debate by two gubernatorial candidates this year. The current governor Scott faced Mr. Crist a democratic candidate on the issue. They both took opposing sides on the issue in the debate. These points out the importance of the issue since it was one of the topics discussed in the debate. Gay marriage is a contemporary political issue in Florida. Gay Marriage Florida does not legally recognize marriage between two people of the same sex. The first ban was in 1977 when gay marriages were banned by statute. In 1997, the state added a ban on the acknowledgment of marriages alienating from other jurisdictions. The state came up with a legislature that recognized marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The bill, however, was passed into law without the governor’s signature. The state of Florida introduced an amendment to the public in 2008 (Johnson, 2012). The amendment banned civil partnership and gay marriages in the state. The amendment required a 60% approval from the voters. The amendment was voted for by 62% of those who voted. Five years later, two organizations were formed in 2013 to help in overturning the amendment in the elections, which were slated in 2014. The two organizations based in Florida were Get Engaged and Equal Marriage. The amendment drew a number of court cases this year. On the 21st day of August 2014, a district court made its verdict by ruling against the ban and terming it unconstitutional. Two more cases against the ban won victory after the courts also termed the amendment as unconstitutional. The issue has affected quite a number of people. The issue of banning gay marriage has affected the general public, the state and gay couples. A majority of the citizens voted against gay marriages in the 2008 amendment. This is a clear indicator that most of the residents in Florida abhorred marriage between people of the same sex. The amendment claimed victory with 62% of the voters voting for it (Klarman, 2013). The court’s ruling against the ban affects the people who voted for the amendment. The public is, thus, one of those affected by the issue. Gay couples are also directly affected by the issue. This is because the issue dwells on them. Gay couples feel that they have a right to be married and that no one should dictate them concerning the kind of marriage one should be in. Gay couples filed cases against the amendment and the state, which is a clear indicator that they are affected by the issue. The state is also affected since it has been dragged into court cases against the amendment. The state is enjoined to the lawsuits as a defendant. The state also formulated the amendment. The issue has become a political characterization because it has taken the course of politics in the United States. Political issues always feature in political debates and most politicians use them as the ladders for gaining political popularity. Gay marriage constituted one of the key topics under discussion in a debate by two gubernatorial candidates. Politicians, thus, have to take a stand on the issue. The need to take a stand makes the issue of gay marriage more political. The issue of gay marriage has also found its way into this year’s election campaigns. This indicates that it is a political issue. In addition to this, gay marriage was subjected to an election (Deng, 2014). This occurred during the referendum when gay marriage was to be voted into the in to law. Supporters of gay marriage, however, were defeated by the opposers. Elections normally take political courses, which help in influencing the outcome. The issue of gay marriage is also political because it has poured out to the public. It has, thus, taken a socio-political course. Many people who voted for the amendment feel that it will be unjust to overrule the will of the majority. The issue involves the public, gay couples, the state, the court, gay activists and the state attorney general. There have been numerous court cases against the amendment this year. The first one was on February 28 in a district court within Florida. It was known as Brenner v. Scott. On March 13, another case was filed in the same court and was referred to as Grimsley v. Scott. On August 21, 2014, the judge ruled against the ban citing it as unconstitutional. The state attorney appealed the ruling in the Supreme Court. The two cases were the first US cases where the court found the banning of gay marriage in the US was found unconstitutional. The Supreme Court, however, has refused to be drawn into the contentious issue. There have been two opposing sides in the gay marriage issue in the United States. Conservatives in the state oppose gay marriages (Kranz & Cusick, 2005). Conservatives believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, that is, people of different sexes. In the gubernatorial race, the republican candidate and the current governor, Scott, does not support marriage between people of the same sex. His opponent, Crist, a democrat, supports marriage between people of same sex. It is, thus, an issue that has liberals on one side and conservatives on the other. Liberals are advocating for legalization of gay marriages in the state of Florida. The debate is on whether the state of Florida should allow people of the same sex to marry. Conclusion Gay marriage is an issue that has taken political dimensions in the state of Florida. It has drawn liberals and conservatives into the debate. The issue has also found its way into political debates in this year’s election. I think the state of Florida should legalize or allow marriage between people of the same sex. Times have changed and people should allow diversity and respect other people’s choices (Johnson, 2012). Majority of the states in America have legalized gay marriage in their states. I think Florida too should follow suit and allow people of the same sex to marry. I also think that the state has a duty to protect minorities and preserve their rights. Gays are regarded as minorities in our society. I strongly believe that eventually the state of Florida will allow gay people to marry. This is because the state of Florida cannot continue ignoring the rights of minorities forever. The issue is not whether the state will allow gay marriages; the issue is when that will happen. This means that eventually, the issue will cool down and gay people will have their way. References Murray, J. (2010). Florida. New York: Lea and Blanchard. Johnson, W. (2012). A Time to Embrace: Same-sex Relationships in Religion, Law, and Politics. London: Routledge Kranz, R., & Cusick, T. (2005). Gay Rights. New York: Pantheon. Deng, L. (2014). Generic Competence: A Genre-Based and Process Genre Approach. Massachusetts: McGraw-Hill. Klarman, M. (2013). From the Closet to the Altar. New York: Wiley. References Read More