Editor's Note: Lorna Bracewell is the director of Impact Florida, an organization devoted to attaining marriage equality for all of Florida's citizens. She is also a singer/songwriter and has released six albums of original music on her own label, Braced Well Records. She makes her home in St. Petersburg, Florida with her partner of three years and their five guinea pigs.
![Creative Loafing lorna_logo[1].jpg](http://florida.bilerico.com/upload/2008/12/impact_florida-_why_we_demonstrate/Creative%20Loafing%20lorna_logo%5B1%5D.jpg)
Impact Florida is a grassroots organization devoted to attaining marriage equality for all of Florida's citizens, regardless of gender and sexual orientation. We formed in response to the recent passage of Florida's "Amendment 2," an amendment to the Florida state constitution that limits the definition of marriage to one man and one woman and precludes the legislature from enacting civil unions, domestic partnerships or any other civil institution that is the substantial equivalent of marriage. We will educate and, in some instances, demonstrate until this discriminatory amendment is repealed and marriage equality becomes a reality.
Our next demonstration will take place on Friday, December 12 at 7pm outside of Florida Governor Charlie Crist's wedding and reception. The wedding is being held at the First United Methodist Church of Saint Petersburg (212 3rd St N St Petersburg, FL 33701) and the reception is being held at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort (501 5th Avenue NE St.
Petersburg, Florida 33701). All participating in the demonstration will wear pink shirts as a display of unity. Our objective will be to celebrate the Governor's and everyone's fundamental right to marry.
Since news of our next demonstration hit the web a little over 48 hours ago, I have received an inbox full of compliments, questions and requests for interviews. I have also received a small but not negligible amount of criticism.
Our planned demonstration has been called "tacky," "rude," and even compared to Fred Phelps' (the leader of the "God Hates Fags" pack) protests at military funerals. If you would like to read my detailed response to these and other criticisms you can do so here.
For now, suffice it to say that Impact Florida has chosen to demonstrate outside of Governor Crist's wedding because we recognize that it will be a unique opportunity to draw attention to the injustice of Amendment 2. On December 12, Governor Crist will be exercising a right that he and all of Amendment 2's supporters have denied to millions of Floridians in the most categorical way that our political process offers. Impact Florida wholeheartedly supports the Governor's right to marry and will do absolutely nothing to interfere with his exercise of that right.
We only wish that he would extend to us the same courtesy and respect.
If you'd like to learn more about Impact Florida, please consider joining our social network by going here. Our next general meeting is this Saturday, December 6 at 2pm at the Metro Center in St. Pete.
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