Politics
Florida’s Social Conservatives Gear Up to Strengthen Families, Oppose Gambling, GLBT Rights
Around the State
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“I don’t anticipate anything too harmful happening in the area of social conservative causes,” Bill Bunkley, who represents the Florida Baptist Convention on the newly-formed Florida Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (of which he is also president), tells Sunshine State News. “However, on the Senate side of things, the Legislature is clearly not as socially conservative as it has been in the past.”
By way of example, Bunkley points to Senate President Don Gatez’s appointment of “very liberal” Democrat Eleanor Sobel to chair the Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs. The committee will consider a domestic partnership bill on Tuesday afternoon, one “likely to not see the light of day” but is a sign of the direction in which he thinks the Senate might be going, compared to previous years.
“Our primary focus this session is how can we strengthen the institution of marriage and family as a means to produce more social order and therefore less government interference and intervention,” John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council, tells SSN. “When families and marriages break down, it increases the welfare state, it’s just not the best way to build society. That’s our overall premise.”
The social agenda of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops echoes that of the state’s more evangelically oriented organizations, though it tends to be a bit broader in scope. As the introduction to this year’s policy outline puts it, in addition to the protection of unborn life, traditional marriage, and religious freedom, the Conference “supports legislation which relieves the burden of the poor, aged, children in need, and disabled; contributes to the reform of the criminal justice system; assures the rights of parents in the education of their children; protects the environment for future generations; and addresses the needs of farm workers and immigrant families.”
What follows is an outline of the filed and forthcoming legislation the state’s social conservatives are keeping an eye on.
Gambling
Each of the spokesmen interviewed for this piece reiterated their organizations’ longstanding opposition to the expansion of legal gambling in Florida, and on Monday Sen. John Thrasher, R-Jacksonville, announced that one bill – likely, the only one dealing with gambling – to be introduced in the 2013 session will be one that expressly outlaws the estimated 1,500 to 2,000 Internet cafes that operate as sweepstakes parlors, skirting the state’s anti-gambling laws.
“We think that gambling is a vice,” Stemberger says. “There’s no social good that comes from it, there’s crime associated with it, and addiction, and suicides. There’s families and marriages that break up because of it, and we just don’t think Florida needs to expand it any more than it already is.”
Stemberger and Bunkley say their organizations will advocate that the Florida House’s two-year gambling review incorporate research on the potential social costs associated with the legalization of gambling, including increased rates of crime, addiction, and family breakdown -- though the Senate Gaming Committee has already said it's doing just that.
“We know from other states, for every dollar they take in gambling, there can be two to five dollars put out the back door with social costs, police protection, etc.,” Bunkley concurs. He’s proposing that the Legislature conduct research into how advertising for the Florida Lottery is directed (e.g., by way of billboards) and where Internet cafes are conducting their business, and to compare those findings with census records to see if low-income communities are being disproportionately targeted by public and private gaming interests.
Domestic Partnerships
“This has nothing to do with families,” Stemberger says of Sobel’s SB 196, which is titled “Families First.” “It’s a full-blown civil unions-gay marriage bill, an attempt to appropriate every right, under both federal and state law, that mirrors marriage in every way, in terms of children, finance, rights, responsibilities, duties, everything.“
He suggests the bill might even violate the Florida Constitution, a provision of which (approved by the vast majority of Florida’s voters in the 2008 general election) explicitly defines marriage as “the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife” and provides that “no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized.”
“Traditional values such as chastity, the sanctity of marriage and family, as well as the development of sound parent-child relationships, and the freedom of parents to rear their children in a healthy and moral climate are critical to a well-ordered society,” Michael Sheedy, director of public policy at the Catholic Conference, wrote Monday in a letter to Sobel. “All of these are under assault today and can be further threatened by legislation such as SB 196.”
Discrimination Against Gays
Stemberger expresses concern over HB 653 and SB 710 (“Prohibited Discrimination”), the “Competitive Workforce Act,” which prohibits private businesses from discriminating against their employees on the basis of “sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.”
“In other words, if a man decides to turn into a woman, whether by cross-dressing or through ‘sex change,' and wants to be your receptionist, and you the business owner believe that’s inappropriate, you can’t terminate or otherwise decline to hire that particular person,” Stemberger explains. “This would also apply to schools and private businesses where children are involved.”
New Handbook for Married Couples?
On background, social conservative sources tell SSN they are working to get a bill filed that would require courts to hand out a new “introduction to marriage” handbook to couples who are civilly married. Currently, new couples are given a booklet published by the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar.
“That’s basically a book on how to get divorced,” according to one source. “Right on the front end of the marriage, we’re giving couples a way to undermine the foundation of their relationship. I think that’s really counterproductive. It sends a really bad message.”
The proposed bill, which hasn’t been filed yet, would contain information on “marriage education, how couples communicate, how they can order their finances, how to raise children, and how to resolve conflicts.” The source said about 10 states publish such a guide and distribute it to newlyweds.
Prison Reform
“I think that’s something youl’ll see moving this session,” sources tell SSN on background. “House leadership is checking out models from across the country that have had great success in rehabilitating people and returning them to the world as productive citizens.”
Sheedy tells SSN the Conference is working with the Legislature to come up with a solution for what to do with incarcerated juveniles who have received life-term prison sentences. A June ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court last year determined that such punishments constituted “cruel and unusual punishment.”
Reach Eric Giunta at egiunta@sunshinestatenews.com or at (954) 235-9116.
Comments (16)
I'm not trying to destroy anyone's marriage, and I would never want a pastor to be forced to violate his or her conscience by being forced to officiate at my wedding to another women (*nobody* wants that). But I would like to have the assurance that, should I be lucky enough to meet someone to spend the rest of my life with, we'd be able to visit each other in the hospital, and make child custody arrangements to protect our children. And I'd like the churches that want to perform same sex marriages to have the freedom to do so. This takes nothing from heterosexual people. I know that same sex marriage is banned in our state constitution. But domestic partnerships would have been a step towards fairness.
We'll keep trying.
God did not leave it up to you to decide who is and is not equal. Man has never gotten that right and has always conceded after realizing the fear and hate they were spreading instead of a message of love and tolerance.
There is this guy who has written some pretty incredible stuff about how to treat your fellow humans. His name was Jesus. You may recognize his name as someone you use as a weapon or to hide behind or to fill your agenda and pockets.
Open your mind and your heart, the battle of morals is a big one and you are fighting the wrong battle.
"God did not leave it up to you to decide who is and is not equal."
Do you know what it means to "beg the question"? You're just assuming, a priori, that "gay marriage" is a question of equality. It isn't.
"There is this guy who has written some pretty incredible stuff about how to treat your fellow humans. His name was Jesus."
Right, because that's what Jesus was about: promoting sodomy and homosexual marriage.
In case you didn't notice, I combined my personal insult with substantive criticism of his points.
Shut your trap and re-read the Gospels. Jesus was a conservative, not a liberated lesbian.
Jesus is above our politics. As much as we might wish Him to always be on our side, Jesus showed little love for much of the conservative agenda these days (one can only imagine what He would think of American military operations in the Middle East for example). As much as I love the GOP, I love GOD more. I hope you do as well.
Sen. Gaetz: When you made the announcement of placing 3 Dems in Chair positions I wondered what you had in mind to deflect any pushback from republicans.......This is the same tactic Atwater used when he wanted to block immigration bills.........for supposedly a smart guy in a powerful position you sure don't have any imagination.......If it passes perhaps you have a surprise for people.
Dear Tea Party:
OM Gosh! With friends like this we've no need for enemies. When will we finally rid ourselves of these charlatan leaders, --e.g., Florida Senate Chair, Don Gaetz,-- who continue to not only dilute the principles and denigrate the Republican party, but also all citizens who believe in American and Family values.
In my opinion, this is not unlike Obama's appointment of Ken Jennings to "Safe School Czar"!!!.... ["President Obama has appointed Kevin Jennings, founder of GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) — which sponsored the conference that produced the notorious “Fistgate” scandal (in which young teens were guided on how to perform dangerous homosexual perversions including “fisting”) — to head up “Safe Schools” efforts at the Department of Education. Jennings is a vicious, anti-religious bigot who once said “[F–k] ‘em” to the “Religious Right.” He supports promoting homosexuality and gender confusion as normative to even young students. He made that comment in a New York City church"].
Please take time to email Gaetz and please do not be afraid to tell him exactly what you think of this outrageous political, progressive, communist appointment. Read below just a couple of the 50-year old communist goals for America, taken from the book, "The Naked Communist."
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural and healthy.”
40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
This woman must not remain in this appointment to represent the values and principles of the Godly, the Family, and the true conservative people of Florida. I support the Florida Family Association.
Respectfully,
Danita Kilcullen
Florida may not pass any bills supporting GLBT rights in the near future, but nationally it is a different story. Eventually legislation will be passed in DC outlawing GLBT discrimination in the workplace and the Danita Kilcullen's of the world will have to live with it (such as the people who opposed Civil Rights legislation in the 1960's were forced to).
The beauty of a free and just society is that you have the option to choose to live according to your moral compass. Don't deny others their right to pursue life, liberty and happiness simply because it doesn't follow your prescription. Peace!
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