Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1996 10:24:28 -0500 (EST) From: A Jay Eddy Subject: Same-Sex Domestic Partnerships (fwd) March 14, 1996 M.Warren, Pres. Broward Log Cabin Club of Florida Progressive "Lincoln-Free Republicans" P.O. Box 1281, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33302 (954) 563-3626 LICENSING DOMESTIC "SAME-SEX" PARTNERSHIPS The Florida State House of Representatives has before its membership bill s.741-0405 which nullifies any same sex domestic partnership/marriage stating, "No county court judge or clerk of the circuit court in this state shall issue a license for marriage.....unless one party is a male and the other party is a female." The State has stepped into the issue of unions between same sex- couples; an age-old closeted matter that has frequently denied mutual rights and benefits to long-term "significant others/partners" in life-long commitments. The duty of the state must be the issuing of licenses and/or permits where and when required, thereby guaranteeing the safety and well being of all of its citizens. Denying that access and right to gay women and men is discriminatory and terminates a minority equality right- over majority rule -to exercise religious freedoms individually and/or collectively should the choice be to do so. Broward Log Cabin Republicans of Florida supports the right to "religious freedom" within the auspices of organizations such as the United Federation of Metropolitan Community Churches, the Unitarian Universalist Church, Buddhist, etc. To deny that ceremonial access in a country that affords "Freedom of Religion" and "Freedom from Religious Persecution" is outRIGHT discrimination. One of the primary reason why so many fled to these shores was a deep-seeded hope of escaping the tyranny of intolerance and minority persecution. Once again that intolerance has surfaced and the self-appointed "inquisitors" are instilling the seeds of fear against those they refuse to understand, share the right of citizenship and blindly hate under the abusive/skewed concept of "love the sinner but hate the sin."