Florida Catholic | Constitutional Ban On Same

Constitutional ban on same–sex unions draws support

Amendment 2 would keep marriage ‘a union between a man and a woman’ in Florida.

LINDA REEVES | FLORIDA CATHOLIC PALM BEACH BUREAU EDITOR

Published: 05.09.08

Courtesy Photo
Dan and Bernice Carlock have been married for the past 50 years. “I feel very strongly that children deserve to have a stable environment with a mother and a father. I am a true supporter of this amendment,” Don Carlock told the Florida Catholic.

WEST PALM BEACH | Dan Carlock, a parishioner of St. Martin de Porres in Jensen Beach, married 50 “wonderful” years to his beloved Bernice, firmly backs Amendment 2, which would entrench in Florida’s Constitution the definition of marriage as a union of one man and one woman.

He said he sees promoting marriage in the traditional sense as a way to strengthen traditional families.

“I go out to prisons and see the results of bad family relationships,” said the volunteer prison minister for the diocesan Office of Prison Ministry for the past 15 years. “I feel very strongly that children deserve to have a stable environment with a mother and a father. I am a true supporter of this amendment.”

In April, Florida4Marriage – the group that led the successful petition drive to place Amendment 2 on the Nov. 4 ballot – launched a campaign called Yes2Marriage to raise awareness of and support for the proposal throughout the state. Florida4Marriage is endorsed by many Christian organizations, including the Florida Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state’s bishops.

Virginia Brooks, chairwoman of the interdenominational Palm Beach Christian Coalition, is helping stage Yes2Marriage events locally, including a coalition-sponsored rally April 17 in West Palm Beach.

“We are launching the campaign to encourage people to vote for the Florida marriage amendment,” she said. “We need more than 60 percent of all the votes that are cast. … The amendment simply keeps marriage between one man and woman in Florida – that is all.”

Yes2Marriage campaign organizers hope to help put Florida on a list that includes at this point 27 other states that have constitutional bans on same-sex marriages.

Don Kazimir, coordinator of the diocesan Respect Life Office, attended the West Palm Beach Yes2Marriage event. Kazimir said marriage between a man and a woman has been the custom here, and it has been the rule throughout Florida history. Marriage is currently defined in Florida law as a union between a man and a woman. But, Kazimir said, “there is an effort now to put a new law onto the books” that would open marriage up to all forms of unions.

“If Amendment 2 is adopted, marriage would be clearly defined in the Florida Constitution as a union between a man and a woman, and it (couldn’t) be changed (without another constitutional amendment),” he said.

Luke Thornton, a retiree and former West Palm Beach high school principal, was on hand at the West Palm Beach gathering.

“There is a lot of propaganda being sent out against the amendment,” he told the Florida Catholic. “We want to combat that.”

Florida Red and Blue, the principal group opposing Amendment 2, has been trying to move the debate beyond same-sex marriage.

The group’s honorary co-chariman, former U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, a Tampa Democrat, wrote a piece published in the Miami Herald in March contending it would take away existing rights from unmarried Floridians in committed relationships, gay or straight, “especially seniors who may remain unmarried by choice.”

Yes2Marriage campaign organizers denounced the statement as a scare tactic aimed at senior citizens who might otherwise support the amendment.

Cecile Lanier, a local Amendment 2 supporter and mother of two girls, was among about 25 attending the local event. She spoke to the Florida Catholic moments before she was invited to speak to the crowd.

“I am going to share my experiences of 53 years of marriage to Sidney with people today,” she said. “I think it is so important that children see a mom and dad together loving each other – loving the children, working towards the common goals in life, sharing the values and the convictions to making a good life.”

Amendment backer Carlock is the father of four children.

“People don’t realize how important the family is,” he told the Florida Catholic. “There’s a lot to being a father and mother. Of course, Bernice and I love the fact that the children have been our blessing.”

For information concerning Amendment 2, call the diocesan Respect Life Office at 561-775-9565.

Pat Langford contributed to this story.

Return to Diocese of Palm Beach Front Page

Constitutional ban on same–sex unions draws support

Other Stories