Key West, FL -
The City Commission of this longtime gay-friendly community passed resolutions Tuesday supporting same-sex marriages and decrying President Bush's proposed constitutional amendment banning the unions.
A crowd of more than 350 people, many waving American flags, cheered Mayor Jimmy Weekley and City Commissioner Tom Oosterhoudt as they read the two resolutions outside the commission chambers and announced their passage by a 4-1 vote.
Weekley's resolution also requests that the county clerk render an opinion on the legality of his issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.
The measures are largely symbolic because Florida law allows only counties, not municipalities, to issue marriage licenses. Monroe County Clerk Danny Kolhage said Monday he is bound by a Florida law that explicitly bans same-sex marriage.
"We know we can't do it here in the state of Florida, but we want our voice heard that we are in opposition to the state's position as well as the president's position on this issue," Weekley said.
The resolution sponsored by Oosterhoudt slams the president's proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage as "repugnant," saying it would harm gays and lesbians the way laws barring interracial marriage once fueled racism and social ostracism.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Jeb Bush said the governor supports state law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman and that says same-sex marriages performed elsewhere cannot be recognized in the state.
A crowd of more than 350 people, many waving American flags, cheered Mayor Jimmy Weekley and City Commissioner Tom Oosterhoudt as they read the two resolutions outside the commission chambers and announced their passage by a 4-1 vote.
Weekley's resolution also requests that the county clerk render an opinion on the legality of his issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.
The measures are largely symbolic because Florida law allows only counties, not municipalities, to issue marriage licenses. Monroe County Clerk Danny Kolhage said Monday he is bound by a Florida law that explicitly bans same-sex marriage.
"We know we can't do it here in the state of Florida, but we want our voice heard that we are in opposition to the state's position as well as the president's position on this issue," Weekley said.
The resolution sponsored by Oosterhoudt slams the president's proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage as "repugnant," saying it would harm gays and lesbians the way laws barring interracial marriage once fueled racism and social ostracism.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Jeb Bush said the governor supports state law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman and that says same-sex marriages performed elsewhere cannot be recognized in the state.
