Why Benefits Should Not be Tied to Relationships
Just two weeks after Florida voters locked marriage discrimination into their state constitution, the Florida [so-called] Family Association is already trying to strip rights from all domestic partners. Numerous Florida localities offer DP benefits. In Tampa, the seat of FFA’s target county, DP benefits have been available to both different-sex and same-sex partners of employees since 2004.
That this was predictable makes it none the less ugly. It validates the time and effort AtMP members spent fighting Amendment 2. And it is another reminder that, if the goal is getting people what they really need, then a strategy for universal health coverage or employee-plus-one benefits would be more effective than a marriage- or relationship-recognition strategy.
