By Peter J. Smith
MIAMI, Florida, September 16, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – With Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s poll numbers foundering in the three-way Senate race between the GOP’s Marco Rubio and Democrats’ Kendrick Meeks, the independent has now abandoned his pro-family positions to court homosexual voters in everything but marriage.
Crist’s campaign has just released a position paper that outlines what the governor calls an “appropriate evolution” on giving rights to individuals based on a homosexual orientation.
This comes as a new FOX News poll has been released showing Crist trailing behind Rubio, who leads with 43 percent of the vote. Crist manages a distant second with 27 percent, followed by Democrat U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek with 21 percent.
On civil unions, Crist now says he supports them on the basis that government “should not make it harder for people to take care of their loved ones” and therefore “the full range of legal protections should be available to gay couples.” He does not, however, go so far as to endorse same-sex “marriage.”
In the position paper he also added that he would support the Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations in Congress – the law would provide certain benefits to homosexual partners of federal employees – for the same reasons he mentioned for legal civil unions.
Crist also endorsed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would make it a federal crime for employers to fire or not hire an individual based on sexual orientation. He also said he would support overturning the 1993 congressional ban on homosexuals serving in the military, which is commonly known by – but conflated with – the accompanying Pentagon policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
He also endorsed the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), which would make it legal for homosexual U.S. citizens to sponsor a foreign “spouse” for citizenship. The practice is currently banned by the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
The governor also repudiated the state’s ban on homosexual adoptions (he had campaigned in favor of the ban during the 2006 gubernatorial race) and endorsed the Every Child Deserves a Family Act. The federal bill would prohibit entities receiving federal money that are involved in adoption and foster care from “discriminating against prospective adoptive or foster parents solely on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identification, or martial status.”
The bill, if passed, could put a serious crimp in the ability of states like Florida to enforce bans on adoptions by homosexual couples.
The rest of Crist’s position paper on homosexual issues can be found here.
However, not all homosexual advocates are buying the change of heart – especially since Crist’s newfound views on homosexual issues during the campaign have all the appearance of nothing more than a politically-motivated flip-flop.
As short a time ago as August, however, Crist did appear to give support for a ban on same-sex “marriage” in the U.S. Constitution, saying “When it comes to marriage, I think it is a sacred institution, I believe it is between a man and a woman.”
However, he later backed off that statement and clarified his remarks by saying that he really was only expressing his support for Florida’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
Crist seems to be hoping to poach off homosexuals support for Meeks; however the Democrat is fighting back, calling Crist a political opportunist who will do anything to get elected.
“Can anyone believe anything Charlie Crist says anymore?” Abe Dyk, Meek’s campaign manager, told the homosexual newspaper the Washington Blade.
“The only thing Charlie Crist says today that you can believe tomorrow is that he wants to be elected.”
The Meek campaign is actually circulating a flyer from Crist’s 2006 campaign, which shows just how sharply Crist has abandoned the pro-family line. In that campaign flyer, Crist blasted Democrat opponent Jim Davis saying, “Jim Davis has turned his back on our values,”“Davis is opposed to traditional families,”“Davis has consistently supported gay adoption.” (see copy here)
According to the Blade, a portion of that 2006 mailing said that Crist “Defends marriage and protects traditional values” and “Leads efforts to protect Florida’s children.”