In declining to hear appeals from five of the most conservative states regarding bans on same sex marriages, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively legalized gay marriage in those states. This according to the October 17, 2014 issue of The Week. The Supreme Court refused to consider challenges to the rulings from three federal courts which struck down marriage restrictions in Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.
While same sex marriage is not yet legalized in Florida, there are cases winding their way through the court system that could ultimately have that effect. These cases mostly involve parental rights and responsibilities and child custodychild custody of same sex partners. While same sex marriage is not yet legal, it is still possible to define your rights as a parent and to manage the distribution of property in a same sex relationship, often called domestic partnership agreementsdomestic partnership agreements.
