Don't Ask Don't Tell... Well I Am TELLING!!!

The debate of same sex couples and what "legal status" they should have is coming to a breaking point.  The article below is one reason why our country and our states need to take a hard stance on whether or not they are for or against gay marriage and/or legal unions. All I can say is THANK YOU to all of the soldiers and their families, including Marine Brandon Morgan for serving our country.

The following article is by Liz Goodwin ( http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/author/liz-goodwin/) 

Five months after the military's ban on openly gay service expired, a photo of a young gay Marine's homecoming kiss has gone viral. Nearly 15,000 people have liked the picture on Facebook, which was posted in a group for gay Marines on Saturday. The Marine, Brandon Morgan, posted a response on his Facebook wall according to the JoeMyGod blog. "To everyone who has responded in a positive way. My partner and I want to say thank you. Dalan, the giant in the photo, can't believe how many shares and likes we have gotten on this. We didn't do this to get famous,or something like that we did this cause after 3 deployments and four years knowing each other, we finally told each other how we felt," Morgan wrote. He responded to "haters" who criticized him for kissing in uniform. "If the Sergeants Major, Captains, Majors, and Colonels around us didn't care...then why do you care what these random people have to say?" In December, two female naval petty officers became the first same-sex couple to share the traditional first kiss on the pier when the ship returned from an 80-day deployment.

Prop 8, Florida, and the United States Supreme Court- Oh My!!!!

Prop 8: Just One Level Below the US Supreme Court Both sides vigorously argue that they are right and the people stand with them. However, 2 out of 3 judges ruled that Prop 8 was unconstitutional.

Judge Reinhardt wrote:

"Proposition 8 operates with no apparent purpose but to impose on gays and lesbians, through the public law, a majority's private disapproval of them and their relationships," Judge Stephen Reinhardt

What does Florida say about same sex marriage?

Under Florida Statute 742.212 it states,

“Marriages between persons of the same sex entered into in any jurisdiction, whether within or outside the State of Florida, the United States, or any other jurisdiction, either domestic or foreign, or any other place or location, or relationships between persons of the same sex which are treated as marriages in any jurisdiction, whether within or outside the State of Florida, the United States, or any other jurisdiction, either domestic or foreign, or any other place or location, are not recognized for any purpose in this state.

The statute further goes on to say:

For purposes of interpreting any state statute or rule, the term “marriage” means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the term “spouse” applies only to a member of such a union.

 United States Supreme Court Showdown

 If the U.S.  Supreme Court grants certiorari for the Prop 8 case then the Florida Statute 742.212 may be in jeopardy. However, like many legal analysts have stated the chances of the U.S. Supreme Court taking the case on will be unlikely.