Campaign Training On Amendment 2

November is fast approaching and Floridians are facing sweeping attacks on their civil liberties and human rights. We have never faced such a far-reaching collection of proposed constitutional amendments. One threatens to take away basic rights of straight and gay unmarried couples (proposed Amendment #2) and two others (Amendments #7 & #9) would eliminate Florida's strong commitment to separation of church & state and religious freedom language, and require government funding of religious programs.

In the coming months you will hear more from us on these proposed constitutional amendments and how you can help defeat them. 

Today we are taking a brief look at proposed Constitutional Amendment #2. The time for you to act is now!

This amendment, on which
Governor Charlie Crist has been
quoted saying "It's not an issue
that moves me … I am more of a
live and let live kind of guy," is
one of utmost importance to all
Floridians, whether straight or
gay.

In July, you have an exclusive opportunity to get directly involved with the ACLU's work to protect the rights of all Floridians.  We will be touring the state to provide speaker training on proposed Amendment 2, the so-called "marriage protection" amendment.

This far-reaching proposed amendment puts government where it does not belong -- in the role of regulating the personal relationships of adults. It would also change Florida's constitution, an action that should not be taken lightly and should be reserved only for improving governmental policies, something this amendment does not do.

The proposed amendment, dubbed the "marriage protection amendment" by its supporters, goes beyond the existing ban on gay marriage in Florida and threatens existing basic rights of unmarried heterosexual domestic partner couples, including seniors. Among the key rights that will be vulnerable are:

1. Employee healthcare plans offered by
    public employers to domestic partners; and
2. The authority of one domestic partner to make
    medical decisions for the other in the event
    of an emergency.

According to census figures, 89% of all registered domestic partners in Florida are heterosexual couples. Firefighters, teachers, librarians, bus drivers and other government employees will lose their right to health care for their domestic partners -- these are your neighbors and family members.

Many organizations and citizens' rights groups have united to oppose this amendment, and we need your help to spread the word in your community about the harmful effects (including the unintended consequences) this amendment would have, if passed.

Join us in July to learn more about the harmful effects of the proposed amendment and become an official ACLU speaker in our "Vote No on 2" campaign. Register for the training or to volunteer for the campaign by choosing the appropriate contact below, or by filling out our form online today.

Here is a list of the dates and cities we will be visiting; we hope you can join us! (Dates and locations are subject to change; please contact us for more information.)

• South Florida - Tuesday, July 29th from 7-9 PM at City Hall/Commission Chambers of Wilton Manors, 524 NE 21st Court, Wilton manors, FL 33305. Please RSVP to Kileen Marshall at kmarshall@aclufl.org.

Register today for the city nearest you, or write us at acluflonline@aclufl.org for more information if you cannot attend.

Thank you for your continued support, and we hope to see you at one of the trainings!

Pd. Pol. Adv. sponsored and paid for by the
Committee to Protect Employee Health Benefits
4500 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 340, Miami, FL 33137