On Saturday, June 28, a coalition of South Florida organizations will host “Countdown to Marriage,” a rally to call on the State of Florida to overturn the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. The rally takes place at noon at the LGBT Visitor Center (1130 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach).
Speaking with one voice, many state and local organizations have come together for this one-of-a-kind special event. Equality Florida, SAVE (Safeguarding American Values for Everyone, formerly SAVE Dade), ACLU of Florida, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and the LGBT Visitor Center will be joined by numerous other agencies and organizations at the rally.
Following Attorney General Pam Bondi’s inflammatory comments that marriage equality would cause “significant public harm,” the reaction from the LGBT community and its allies was swift and united. Organizers of the rally hope to leverage that enthusiasm into action.
With a whirlwind of favorable rulings throughout the country, the rally will also provide the community with an opportunity to hear about the status of some of the lawsuits presently in the Florida courts, as well as how to get involved in the fight for equality. Currently there are five lawsuits filed in Florida courts that demand equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.
Two of the couples who are presently suing for marriage equality – Juan del Hierro & Thomas Gantt and Karla Arguello & Cathy Pareto– will be speaking at the rally, along with Row Iliescu, Equality Florida’s South Florida Development Director, Damian Pardo, SAVE board member and Daniel Tilley, ACLU staff attorney.
Countdown to Marriage: A Rally for Marriage Equality Now! takes place at noon on Saturday, June 28 behind the LGBT Visitor Center, located at 1130 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach. For further information, please call (305) 751-7283 or (954) 458-3639, or visit eqfl.org and savedade.org.
