Florida GOP: Still Living in the 19th Century?
Florida Republicans take their cultural crusades very seriously. Like Republicans everywhere they’re opposed to gay marriage, but the Floridian GOP takes it one step farther into crazyland; they’re opposed to repealing a 19th century law that criminalizes unmarried “cohabitation.”
“Cohabitation” of unmarried people is currently a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by $500 or up to 60 days in jail. The same penalty applies to cheating husbands and wives — though only to opposite-sex couples.
The laws have been on the books since the late 1800s, but are rarely enforced. …
Now, Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, is on a mission to repeal the statutes penalizing adultery and cohabitation, as well as other laws he finds outdated, like a requirement that all bicycle riders keep one hand on the handle bars. He filed the adultery bill last week — it’s HB 4021 — though he hasn’t returned phone calls about it for the past two days. …
Nobody else much wants to talk about it either.Asked how Gov. Rick Scott felt about the measure, spokeswoman Amy Graham replied simply, “This isn’t an issue the governor is focused on.”
The bill has no Senate counterpart. And given the almost-certain opposition of social conservatives who lobby hard on “family values” issues, it’ll face tough sledding in an election year.
Consider the response of State Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, who previously headed the Florida chapter of the Christian Coalition: “I’m not ready to give up on monogamy and a cultural statement that marriage still matters,” he said.
Here’s a report with video at CNN:
And Florida isn’t the only state that still has sincrime laws on the books:
Florida isn’t the only state with strange, “family values” 19th century laws on the books that advocates and politicians loathe to get rid of.� In fact, I realized a year ago that I was a serial fornicator according to the state of Minnesota for the five years of non-married cohabitation I had with my now-husband.� He, on the other hand, gets off scott free since the law only applies to women.