With the U.S. Supreme court days away from issuing an opinion on whether or not all states must recognize same-sex marriages, marriage equality supporters are optimistic.
Those who witnessed the court's deliberation in April say it all rides on the swing vote on the court, Justice Anthony Kennedy, but they're confident he'll ultimately come down on the side of equality.
A local jewelry design team is so optimistic about the decision that they have created commemorative wedding bands for the occasion.
Diamonds Direct, a St. Pete-based firm created a pair of wedding bands, according to a news release, "resembles native Florida Palm Bark" and is inscribed with “1-6-15,” the day same-sex marriage became legal in the Sunshine State.
“We support love, and love always wins,” Gary Sanchez, who heads the firm, said in a media release. “These custom rings are our way of commemorating the historic court decision allowing all Florida citizens the right to marry and express their love and devotion with full legal backing.”
The firm has created two other wedding band set designs.
One is "laid in pink gold" and engraved with pink triangles, long a symbol of the LGBT equality movement. The other is a looping "ball and chain" design to show the "lighter side" of marriage equality.
Many consider St. Pete's festivities, which happen over the last weekend in June, to be the biggest Pride celebration in the state, if not the entire Southeastern U.S.
This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2015.
