Definition of marriage draws debate

Florida voters will decide whether they want to protect the definition of marriage by placing it in their state constitution on Nov. 4.
Amendment 2, or the Florida Marriage Amendment, is the most discussed of the six amendments that will share the ballot with White House hopefuls on Election Day.
According to Yes 2 Marriage, the leader of the campaign in support of the amendment, the amendment would define marriage "as the union of one man and one woman."
Florida Red and Blue, also known as Say No 2, leads the Florida campaign opposing Amendment 2. The campaign claims the amendment is unnecessary because Florida already bans gay marriage in its Florida Statutes and the amendment would block civil unions and domestic partnerships.
The group also argues that passage of Amendment 2 would eliminate existing benefits and hospital visitation rights for seniors and unmarried persons, university employees would lose job benefits, and ultimately the government would interfere in the personal lives of Floridians.
Alongside television ads and campaign material, opposition to Amendment 2 is seen on college campuses. The UCF Student Government Association's 40th Student Senate used their meeting on October 6 to pass Resolution 40-35 - opposing Amendment 2.
UCF's Resolution 40-35 states that the 40th Student Senate disagrees with the amendment "because of its capacity to lessen the rights of all Floridians."
According to the Central Florida Future, the FSU Student Senate passed a similar measure the day before.
Jessica Osborn, president of UCF's Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Student Union, proposed the idea of passing such a resolution to UCF Sen. Dustin Robinson. According to the Central Florida Future, Osborn is organizing efforts to get other major Florida universities to send similar resolutions to the state capitol.
Some students, like FCCJ's Lex Curry, a 19-year-old electrical engineering major, sees Amendment 2 through the lenses of separation of church and state.
"It sounds like a moral issue. The definition of marriage brings morality into the Florida constitution," said Curry.
But for voters like Sharmon Krzykalsky, a 40-year-old elementary education major, religious convictions and legislation integrate.
"I support religious legislation defining marriage between a man and woman," said Kryzyhalsky, who was raised in a Christian environment, and will be applying her religious beliefs for a yes vote on Amendment 2.
Others, like Carl Colavito, Political Science Professor at FCCJ's Kent Campus, sees the issue as more of a civil rights issue than a religious issue.
Colavito said that personal beliefs on marriage should be left up to the individual and not the state.
Joseph Vaughn, a Jacksonville Attorney and co-chair of the Yes 2 Marriage volunteer group in Jacksonville, disagrees.
"The argument analogies to the civil rights argument is without merit," said Vaughn.
According to Vaughn, the government has legal interest in marriage. The government does not allow individuals under the age of 18 to marry without parental consent, has made polygamy illegal, and prohibits marriage between members of the same family.
Vaughn also claims that the arguments brought forth by opponents to Amendment 2 are irrelevant to the purpose of the amendment.
"We're not trying to change anything. They are," said Vaughn. "There are false claims coming from opponents. These arguments have nothing to do with the marriage amendment, and [the amendment] has nothing to do with benefits."
Florida's Supreme Court made a similar determination in their 2006 ruling:
"The voter is being asked to vote on the singular subject of whether the concept of marriage. should be limited to a man and a woman."
While Say No 2 argues that the Amendment is unnecessary, Yes 2 Marriage claims it is.
27 other states have passed similar marriage amendments placing the definition of marriage as between a man and woman in their state constitutions in order to prevent activist judges from having the opportunity to redefine marriage, according to Yes 2 Marriage. Four states, with Connecticut the most recent on October 10, have legalized gay marriage.
In order for the Amendment to pass, 60 percent of Floridians need to approve.
A poll initiated by The Florida Times Union and The South Florida Sun-Sentinel revealed that 53 percent of 600 persons surveyed said they would vote in favor of the amendment.
"We are not trying to change anything, but protect something beautiful - the marriage between a man and a woman," said Vaughn.