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6 gay couples sue to overturn Florida marriage ban

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Six gay couples have filed a lawsuit in South Florida seeking to overturn Florida's ban on same-sex marriage.
 
   The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on behalf of the couples by Equality Florida Institute Inc. The lawsuit claims Florida's gay marriage ban violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantees of equal protection and due process.
 
   Similar claims have been made in other states, where judges in many cases have struck down gay marriage bans as discriminatory. Florida attorneys said there are about 40 lawsuits challenging same-sex marriage bans pending around the country.
 
   Florida voters enshrined a ban on same-sex marriage in the state constitution in 2008. Attorneys for the gay couples say they believe public opinion is different now and that judges are increasingly concluding the laws are unconstitutional.