Debating Florida's November referendum that would ban gay marriages (and other civil union benefits, including possibly some for unmarried straight couples) seems a cottage industry these days. Two more debates are scheduled, and both should be good ones.
First, the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club also has a gay marriage debate on the books:
Friday, April 4, 2008 • 12:00 Noon – 1:15 p.m.
St. Petersburg Yacht Club • 11 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg
What’s at stake for all Floridians?
The proposed Marriage Protection Amendment is the subject of our debate. Speaking in favor of the amendment is John Stemberger, Orlando lawyer and head of the Florida Family Council, which spearheaded the amendment. Speaking against Amendment #2 is Nadine Smith, Executive Director of Equality Florida and member of the Fairness for All Families campaign. Florida law already bans gay marriage, so what will this amendment actually do? Do Florida marriages need protection from “activist judges?†Is this an effort by social conservatives to stimulate the vote and help conservative candidates? Will this measure really harm Florida’s senior citizens? The sparks will fly at this debate; you won’t want to miss it. We’re hosting the Florida Association of Tiger Bay Clubs, so space will be limited.
RSVP deadline: Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Second, there is a gay marriage debate planned for USF St. Petersburg:
7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8 in the Campus Activities Center (corner of 2nd St. S and 6th Ave S.), John Corvino and Glenn T. Stanton, two of the nation’s leading and opposing voices on same-sex marriage, will debate each other and then take questions. The debate is free and open to the public. Complimentary parking is available in the campus parking garage.
Corvino (pictured at left) is a philosophy professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich. and the editor of Same Sex: Debating the Ethics, Science and Culture of Homosexuality. His writing has appeared in national and regional print media, in scholarly anthologies and on the Web site Independent Gay Forum.
Stanton works with Focus on the Family as the Senior Analyst for Marriage and Sexuality and the Director of Social Research and Cultural Affairs. He has authored or contributed to nine books, including Why Marriage Matters: Reasons to Believe in Marriage in Postmodern Society and Marriage on Trial: The Case against
Same-Sex Marriage and Parenting.
Stanton (pictured at right) argues that same-sex marriages would erode our understanding of humanity by treating male or female as optional for the family. Corvino argues that recognizing same-sex unions would be good not only for gay people, but also for society at large, since society has an interest in promoting happy, stable and loving relationships.
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2008.