FLORIDA: Hate Group Attacks GOP House Rep For Backing Same-Sex Marriage

Earlier this week freshman GOP House Rep. David Jolly became the eighth sitting Republican member of Congress to endorse marriage equality. And the Florida Family Policy Council is ever so pissed at him.

When you agree with this lower court's opinion, you also agree with his irresponsible claim that citizens in your district who passed the marriage amendment were motivated by "animus" or hatred toward gay-identified persons. Nothing could be further from the truth or more morally repugnant to us, as we all affirm the inherent dignity and value of every human being. We are profoundly disappointed in this announcement and now we can only wonder what other issues you might change your views on. Please know that we consider your reversal on this critical issue to be an act of cowardice and a betrayal to the very persons who worked extremely hard to get you elected to office. We call upon you to publicly apologize for this mistake and hold fast to your original position that states should define marriage as it has always been, the union of one man and one woman only. We also challenge you to not cower to the pressure, demands and intimidation of homosexual activists. Finally, we exhort you to be governed not by polls, politics and profits but instead to be governed by principle and what is in the best interest of children, families and the common good of society. Your future as the Congressman representing us in Florida's District 13 is counting on it.

The above was published by Charisma News, which recently declared that gay people are "possessed by putrid-smelling demons." But they have no animus for us. Nope.

FLORIDA: US Rep. David Jolly (R-FL) Becomes Eighth Sitting GOP Member Of Congress To Back Same-Sex Marriage

US House Rep. David Jolly (R-FL) has become the eighth sitting GOP member of Congress to endorse marriage equality.

When asked by The Washington Post whether he supports gay marriage, in light of a Florida judge's decision last week to overturn the state's ban, Jolly said that his personal views on marriage are that it should be limited to one man and one woman. But, he added, states should not be defining the "sanctity" of marriage. “As a matter of my Christian faith, I believe in traditional marriage," said Jolly in a statement to The Post. "But as a matter of Constitutional principle I believe in a form of limited government that protects personal liberty. To me, that means that the sanctity of one’s marriage should be defined by their faith and by their church, not by their state. Accordingly, I believe it is fully appropriate for a state to recognize both traditional marriage as well as same-sex marriage, and therefore I support the recent decision by a Monroe County Circuit Judge.”

Among those eight Republicans is Jolly's Florida colleague, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who represents portions of Miami and Hialeah.

RELATED: Jolly represents the Tampa Bay-area's Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg and Clearwater. In his first bid for public office, Jolly was elected to the House in January of this year in a special election following the October 2013 death of 22-term GOP Rep. Bill Young.  Jolly, an attorney and former lobbyist, barely squeaked by Democrat Alex Sink, who lost by less than 2% after losing the 2010 Florida gubernatorial race by 1% to Rick Scott. While freshman Rep. Jolly now supports same-sex marriage, he holds traditionally GOP positions on Obamacare, abortion rights, military support for Israel, and gun control.