While the House bill was clearly aimed at discriminating against gay and lesbian people, the fiery debate spotlighted bill sponsor Rep. The decisive Senate action came just minutes after the Florida House voted overwhelmingly to allow taxpayer-funded private adoption agencies to turn away gay people and others.
It is time to secure full equality and chart a fair and inclusive path for our state.” “Now is not the time for Florida to look back to its ugly past. “We applaud Senator Gaetz for rallying his colleagues to stop this disastrous effort to put discrimination back into Florida law.” said Nadine Smith, CEO of Equality Florida.
Former Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Destin, was an eloquent opponent, stating “We don’t need to turn back the social clock in this state to 1977,” the year Florida banned gay and lesbian people from adopting children. In doing so they derailed an effort that originated in the House of Representatives to reintroduce an anti-gay adoption law in Florida. In a stunning turnaround late this afternoon, the Florida Senate blocked efforts to allow Indiana-style discrimination in adoption. Former Senate President Rallies Lawmakers,īlocks Discriminatory Amendment Vote follows fiery debate as Indiana-style measure moved forward in House
