Amway Billionaire Gives $100K To Fight Gay Marriage In Florida

Amway billionaire Rich Devos, the owner of NBA team Orlando Magic, has donated $100K to support Florida's Amendment 2, which would make gay marriage double-extra banned in Florida. Protesters have been appearing at outside Magic games at Orlando's Amway Arena.

Inside the Amway Arena, a voice over the public-address system announced that the next two people to buy upper-bowl tickets to the Orlando Magic would get a basketball autographed by Hedo Turkoglu. Meanwhile, outside the facility, protesters chanted, "The billionaire's a bonehead. The billionaire's a bonehead."

Professional sports and political street theater intersected Sunday as opponents of a proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution vented their wrath on Magic owner Rich DeVos on the day season-ticket holders were selecting their seats.

The protesters were calling attention to DeVos' contribution of $100,000 to Florida4Marriage, a group that supports Amendment 2, which would add the existing ban on gay marriage to the state constitution. Opponents say the measure could also deny domestic-partnership benefits for unmarried couples -- gay and straight.

"He's the biggest contributor to the amendment from Orlando," said Jennifer Foster, who helped organize the protest, which drew about 30 people. "And he's getting $1 billion in taxpayers' money to build the arena. That sends a bad message." DeVos was unavailable for comment.

The "Marriage Protection Amendment" on the Nov. 4 ballot states that, "Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized."

Same-sex marriage is already banned in Florida. Amendment 2 is an attempt to make sure that legal same-sex marriages from other states will not be recognized in Florida. Many Florida newspapers have come out against Amendment 2, but the most recent polls indicate its passage is too close to call at the moment.