Florida’s Gay Marriage Ban Challenged As Couple Sues DMV: Licenses Canceled Following Legal Name Change

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Florida's ban on gay marriage has been challenged once again as a couple sued the state's motor vehicle agency for revoking their drivers' licenses, according to The Associated Press.

Daniel DeSousa and Scott Wall reportedly married in New York last year and legally changed their last name to Wall-DeSousa through the federal Social Security Administration; however, when Scott attempted to change his driver's license in Brevard County, Florida, he was reportedly told that his marriage certificate wasn't a legal document in the state.

Daniel was reportedly able to change his driver's license, but Scott had to go outside of Florida to change his license. He reportedly succeeded in Orange County.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Orlando federal court, reportedly demands that the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles grant the couple licenses with their new names. The couple has reportedly stated that the agency in Florida is violating their rights to due process, equal protection and free speech.

The lawsuit reportedly stated that the agency is "trying to suppress the expression that the plaintiffs, as a same-sex couple, are a family."

The couple reportedly stated that when they went public with their new driver's licenses during an interview with an Orlando television station, they received a letter from the DMV saying their licenses had been canceled.

Florida's gay marriage ban has continuously been challenged, as a federal judge reportedly ruled that it was unconstitutional earlier this year. Judges in four South Florida counties - Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach - have reportedly ruled that the state's 2008 voter approved constitutional amendment banning gay marriage violates gay residents' right to equal protection under the law as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, according to the Star Tribune.

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