Last August, U. S. District Judge Robert Hinkle declared Florida’s same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional. Citing the 14th Amendment’s due process and equal protection clauses, Hinkle wrote unequivocally that, “Marriage is a fundamental right.” After a lengthy stay, his ruling went into effect January 6, making Florida the 36th state to embrace same-sex marriage.
As a fourth-generation Floridian, I am ecstatic for my home state where, as a child, I was as likely to see a gay couple as a snowman. Already, more than a 1,000 couples have been married in the nation’s third most populous state, with hundreds more renewing their vows from previous out-of-state weddings.
The Kiss for Equality campaign documents couples proclaiming their love publicly as a clarion call for LGBTQ equality worldwide and shares these photos of Floridian newlyweds celebrating the freedom to marry in the Sunshine State.
Have a kiss? Submit your own kiss for equality at KissForEquality.net.
Kirk and Kevin were married at Smathers Beach, in Key West, Fla., on January 24. Three years ago they met at a bar and exchanged numbers. They were married one day after the third anniversary of their first date.
Photo credit: Nick Doll Photography
After being denied a marriage license in their hometown of Key West in the spring of 2014, Aaron and Lee filed a lawsuit against clerk and comptroller Amy Heavilin, becoming plaintiffs in one of Florida’s first marriage equality cases (Huntsman v. Heavilin). They were married in Key West just after the stroke of midnight on January 6, in the first same-sex wedding in the Florida Keys.
Photo credit: Nick Doll Photography
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