Earlier this week, a municipality in South Florida held a symbolic vote to show support for gay marriage.
That vote failed.
In a 3-to-2 vote, the Village of Miami Shores decided not to support a statewide law that would allow gays to marry anywhere in Florida.
Jesse Walters, vice mayor of Miami Shores, proposed the resolution at a recent council meeting.
"Frankly," he says, "I think it's a black eye for the village, it's an embarrassment. It's a town that has a lot of gay and lesbian people."
Walters, who is openly gay, says he took the vote personally.
"It feels like a slap in the face," he says.
Other Florida cities have passed similar symbolic resolutions in support of gay marriage equality including Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.
Opponents and supporters of the Miami Shores resolution to support gay marriage spoke out passionately about their views on the issue.
Walters says Miami Shores’ council vote against gay marriage equality sets what he considers to be an otherwise progressive community backwards.
