US: Florida Republican who fought against equal marriage named ‘Loser of the Year’
Florida’s Attorney General Pam Bondi – who led a costly crusade against same-sex marriage – has been named ‘Loser of the Year’.
Ms Bondi – who according to some reports is married to her third husband – has spent most of the year trying to stall or hinder the progress of same-sex marriage in the courts, despite strong criticism of her costly, futile legal action.
She recently took the case to both the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the US Supreme Court, in a desperate bid to stop gay couples from marrying next month.
The Republican – who has conceded a very narrow defeat – previously claimed in a legal brief that “disrupting Florida’s existing marriage laws would impose significant public harm”, and would cause “significant financial and logistical problems”.
Despite winning re-election in November. she was named ‘Loser of the Year’ by the Tampa Bay Times this week.
The newspaper wrote: “It’s hard to imagine how someone who won re-election so handily (rival George Sheldon could not afford a single TV ad) could emerge from 2014 more wounded and diminished as our Republican attorney general.
“Bondi’s clumsy communication skills and relentless defense of Florida’s gay marriage ban have made her a modern-day Anita Bryant.
“Antagonizing Florida’s gay voters over same-sex marriage and Hispanic voters over immigration reform ensures Bondi has a bright political future ahead of her — if she moves to Mississippi.”
Bondi has repeatedly denied claims of homophobia – saying that she has gay friends.
The politician said: “People always talk about personal views, it has to do with an Attorney General doing her job. It is my job.
“I have a lot of gay friends, I can tell you I sat in a church and took pictures when one of my friends adopted two little boys from Russia before you could adopt legally here in Florida. I took the pictures at the baptism.”
Despite her claims, numerous Governors and Attorney Generals in other states have refused to defend same-sex marriage bans.
