Alan Grayson's Very Special Christmas Present For His LGBT Constituents

Members of Congress have no executive authority-- not in DC and not in their own districts or states. But that has never stopped Alan Grayson. Right after he was elected to the House he went on a crusade against the foreclosure-industrial complex cheating Central Florida homeowners out of their homes. Since working closely with the chief justice of the Orange and Osceola counties judiciary, foreclosure were cut in half for Grayson's constituents-- a lot more than most congressmen every accomplish for the people they represent.

Well, he's done it again. After the U.S. Supreme refused to stop a lower court’s decision that Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. marriage equality was set to come into its own across the Sunshine State. Except for one thing, homophobic Republicans that pretty much control the state. Gay-hating Attorney General Pam Bondi went ballistic and warned Florida county clerks that if they go ahead and issue marriage licenses to same sex couples it could subject them to prosecution. Grayson immediately got to work with the Osceola County Commission, which passed a resolution allowing their Clerk's offices to open at Midnight on January 6th to began issuing licenses to LGBT couples. He and County Commissioner County Commissioner Cheryl Grieb sent a letter to Orange-Osceola State Attorney Jeff Ashton to confirm that local Clerks of the 11th Circuit Court will not be prosecuted for issuing the marriage licenses. "A Florida court has ruled that refusing to issue such licenses is a denial of the equal protection clause to same-sex couples," they wrote. "Taxpayer money would have to be used, and wasted, in defeating such efforts."

Tuesday, Ashton conceded the battle is over-- at least in Central Florida-- and that LGBT couples can indeed get married in the Orlando area and that clerks will not be prosecuted, despite Bondi's threats. Orlando Weekly:

Grayson, our congressman who actually loves the gays, joined with Osceola County Commissioner Cheryl Grieb in turning up the heat on Orange-Osceola State Attorney Jeff Ashton on the issue of pressing charges against clerks issuing licenses to same sex couples. Ashton, you see, is characteristically playing the issue safe and down the middle. Yesterday he issued a statement via spokeswoman saying: "The State Attorney does not announce in advance which cases he will prosecute. If he receives a complaint, that complaint will be investigated and evaluated, as other complaints are, and a charging decision will be made at the appropriate time."

Humbug.

Grayson and Grieb contend that this is all a violation of the Federal Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution, because that's exactly what the U.S. Supreme Court said last year.

Ashton promptly informed the Clerks of Courts in Orange and Osceola counties Tuesday that his office will not prosecute them for issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples when the ban is lifted on January 6th. Grayson was jubilant: "I’m happy that the State Attorney is joining me in upholding one of our most fundamental American principles: that we are all equal in the eyes of the law, no matter what you look like, no matter where you are from, and no matter whom you love."

Merry Christmas!