Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) Pledges Support for Gay Marriage

In a statement to the Tampa Bay Times, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, has pledged to support gay marriage.

Nelson said he intends to sign a petition asking the Supreme Court to overturn the prohibition of same-sex marriage.

Nelson, a 70-year-old Democrat, said in the statement:

“It is generally accepted in American law and U.S. society today ‘. . . that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ I believe that. The civil rights and responsibilities for one must pertain to all.”

Nelson’s statements represent a flip-flop in his position on gay marriage. Six Democrat Senators still support marriage as between one man and one woman.

Florida Amendment 2 is an amendment made to the Constitution of Florida in 2008. It added Article I, Section 27 to the constitution, which defines marriage as a union only between one man and one woman, and thus bans the creation of similar unions, such as civil unions or same-sex marriage. Floridians by a margin of 62% to 38% voted in favor of Amendment 2.

Miles Collier at CPN America reports:

Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX), who has a gay child, feels that the social institution of traditional marriage is what is best for American society as a whole.

PFOX maintains that the push for same-sex marriage also comes with unintended consequences such as the denial of rights for heterosexual couples.

“The homosexual push for ‘equal marriage,’ otherwise known as genderless marriage, can only lead to a ban on heterosexual rights. With a president in power who endorses gay causes and readily misuses executive orders, and emboldened by their numerous wins for gay rights at the legislative and judicial level, homosexuals have now moved beyond equal rights to the ‘more equal than you’ level,” Greg Quinlan, president of PFOX, said in a statement last year before the November General Elections.

Read more.

The following is his full statement to the editorial board:

“It is generally accepted in American law and U.S. society today “that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

I believe that. The civil rights and responsibilities for one must pertain to all.

Thus, to discriminate against one class and not another is wrong for me.

If we are endowed by our Creator with rights, then why shouldn’t those be attainable by gays and lesbians?

Simply put, if the Lord made homosexuals as well as heterosexuals, why should I discriminate against their civil marriage? I shouldn’t, and I won’t.

So I will add my name to the petition of senators asking the Supreme Court to declare the law that prohibits gay marriage unconstitutional.”