For a few moments last week, the President carried in his pocket a picture of two boys standing in front of the White House, the younger one with his arm thrown across his older brother's shoulder.
The boys are at the heart of a lawsuit that could -- and should -- end the ugliest anti-gay state law in the country: Florida law bans gay people from providing loving homes to children who would otherwise be without a family of their own. In a world where conservatives believe an underfunded orphanage bests a loving family with a same-sex relationship, it's scary that they turned their archaic beliefs into law.
During the White House Pride Reception, Nadine Smith of Equality Florida slipped the picture with a note into the Presidents hand and asked him to help ensure the family isn't torn apart the state of Florida's bigotry.
Any Wednesday now, an appeal court will decide whether Martin Gill can legally adopt the two boys he and his partner have raised for more than 5 years or whether they will be immediately removed and possible separated from each other. Every respected child welfare expert who testified in the case says the children will be irreparably harmed if they are removed.
The President's voice matters in this battle and his vocal support for keeping this family together sends the true message of family values. This may be Florida's fight today but the same forces that brought marriage bans state-by-state have their eyes on where to export this bigotry next.
And they are not kidding. You think gay marriage got them fired up? You ain't seen nothing yet. If they capitalized on images of two men marrying, you can only imagine what they'll cook up in ads for state by state referendum that deal with gays and kids. Oy. The Florida courts have the power to stop the stupidity. Let's hope they do what is right.
To see the note and the picture click here or on the image above.