NEWS RELEASE: Supporters of Freedom to Marry Launch Ad Showing Strong Support in Florida

Supporters of Freedom to Marry Launch Ad
Showing Strong Support in Florida

Equality Florida and Freedom to Marry join to produce the ad,
which will begin airing this week

Following oral arguments heard by the U.S. Supreme Court that could lead to nationwide marriage, Equality Florida and Freedom to Marry today released a statewide TV ad showing broad support for marriage equality throughout the state of Florida. The spot which will air beginning this week on cable is available online at www.eqfl.org/lovemustwin.

“Florida has embraced the freedom to marry. The hollow rhetoric of prejudice continues to fall away as people across the state celebrate the weddings of their friends and family,” said Nadine Smith, CEO of Equality Florida, one of several groups that helped overturn Florida’s ban. “Thousands of couples have already taken advantage of this new freedom in Florida, and our communities are better and stronger because of it.”

Since January when gay couples began legally marrying in Florida, thousands of weddings have inspired friends, co-workers and neighbors to stand up for equality, said Nadine Smith, chief executive of Equality Florida. Polling bears that out. Nearly 60% of Floridians say equal access to marriage should be the law and a recent poll showed 81% of Floridians say that gay people marrying has had no effect or been an improvement in the state.

“Our ad keeps the spotlight on what’s at the heart of the cases now before the U.S. Supreme Court: love, commitment, family, and equality under the law,” said Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry. “Every day marriage is denied is a day of real and needless injury, indignity, and injustice for too many families across the country -- and time matters. Florida, like all of America, is ready for the Supreme Court to bring an end to marriage discrimination once and for all.”

The ad features the diverse and bipartisan support for marriage throughout Florida and features images of Republican US Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Carlos Curbelo, as well as Democratic US Senator Bill Nelson and the Episcopal Bishop of Southeast Florida, the Right Reverend Leopold Frade.

In January, the freedom to marry took effect statewide in Florida even as an appeal in a federal marriage ruling proceeds to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear six consolidated marriage cases out of Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, and Kentucky, with a nationwide ruling potentially by June.

The ad can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/1EFS3oM

A transcript follows:

In Florida gay and lesbian couples finally enjoy the freedom to marry the person they love. It strengthened our families; strengthened our commitment to love and responsibility and its made our state more welcoming. Now business leaders, religious leaders, political leaders from all parties and nearly 60% of Floridians agree. It’s time for every American to have the freedom and protections that only marriage provides. Join us. Let’s make sure that love wins once and for all.

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Freedom to Marry is the campaign to win marriage nationwide. We are pursuing our Roadmap to Victory by working to win the freedom to marry in more states, grow the national majority for marriage, and end federal marriage discrimination. We partner with individuals and organizations across the country to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage and the protections, responsibilities, and commitment that marriage brings.

Equality Florida is the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Through lobbying, grassroots organizing, education, and coalition building, we are changing Florida so that no one suffers harassment or discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.