June 18 - As people across the country celebrate pride month and the first same sex marriages in California, many LGBT advocates are preparing for their next challenge to marriage - constitutional bans. The measure will be on the ballot in California and Florida. As Sean Kinane reports from Tampa, opponents say Amendment 2 could also take away the rights of opposite sex non married couples as well.

On Valentine's Day of this year, Rev. Phyllis Hunt, Senior Pastor of Metropolitan Community Church in Tampa, and a group of same-sex couples attempted to file for marriage licenses. They were refused. Instead, Rev. Hunt performed a religious marriage ceremony at a park across the street from the courthouse.

"Many, many couples pick this day to have a wedding, and so we have picked this day to have a wedding protest because same-sex, same-gender loving couples are not afforded the over 1,500 rights, privileges, and responsibilities that civil marriage gives to opposite-gender loving couples."

During that Valentine's Day ceremony, twelve couples recited vows and made life-long commitments to each other. Russell Fox is one of the wed.

"It was a really, really nice little ceremony, even though it wasn't legal. But it still meant something that meant a lot to me. A lot."

These ceremonies happened even though Florida law denies same-gender couples the freedom to marry; a measure on November's ballot called Amendment 2 would take that restriction even further. It would enshrine it in the state's constitution.

Some worry that Amendment 2 would do more than restrict same sex marriage.

Nadine Smith is Executive Director of Equality Florida. She said it could affect opposite-sex unmarried domestic partners as well, especially the elderly.

"Precisely because it poses a threat to all unmarried Floridians and would hit unmarried seniors particularly hard. Florida has a large retiree population and many rely on domestic partnership protections. And they don't remarry after they've been widowed because they would lose essential pension and health benefits."

Opponents are looking to Michigan as reason for concern.

In May, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that their state's constitutional ban on gay marriage even forbids domestic partnership benefits, such as hospital visitation rights, for unmarried couples.

Supporters of Amendment 2 say it only forbids same-sex marriage and does not affect health insurance or other benefits afforded to domestic partnerships. Terry Kemple is the President and Founder of the Community Issues Council, a conservative Christian group that supports Amendment 2. Kemple disagrees with the assertion that the ban would take away benefits.

"It defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman as the best arrangement for protecting children and it does not prohibit the government from extending benefits to any person."

Floridians will have their say November 4th.

From WMNF in Tampa, I'm Seán Kinane.

Part 2:

Yesterday, marked that first day that same sex couples in California could get married, while many see this as a step forward for marriage equality, the battle continues. Like Florida, California is also facing a proposed constitutional ban on same sex marriage.

Election Unspun Producer Karen Miller spoke with David Buckel, Marriage Project Director for the LGBT legal advocacy group Lambda Legal. Buckel says amendments like these are the latest fight in the ongoing struggle.