The city of Orlando is putting it on the record that it supports marriage equality in Florida.
The Orlando City Council on Monday approved the filing of a "friend of the court" brief, which outlines the belief that lifting the ban on gay marriage is beneficial to society.
A handful of commissioners took their turn to explain why they were voting for or against this symbolic gesture.
After two commissioners stated their opposition to the vote, Commissioner Patty Sheehan openly talked about her failed domestic partnership and, despite that, how she will continue to fight for the right for all people to live and love the person of their choice.
Mayor Buddy Dyer made his intentions clear back when he gave his State of the City address, stating that he wants the city of Orlando to embrace marriage equality.
At Monday's meeting, Dyer introduced a brief as a sign of support for other pending lawsuits in the state suing to overturn the ban on gay marriage.
While the brief was passed, it wasn't without opposition.
"I'm just going to go ahead and register a 'no' vote," Commissioner Tony Ortiz said. "I have talked to several of the members of the gay and lesbian community, and I think we have a mutual understanding. Our friendship and our love for each other have not stopped because of this vote."
But one member of the gay and lesbian community sits just four seats down from Ortiz. And that's Sheehan.
When it was Sheehan's turn, she opened up about her failed domestic partnership, arguing that while she remains single, she will continue to fight for the right for all people to wed the person of their choice.
"Marriage is also a wedding cake, but it's also a contractual agreement between two people that even if you break it, you have to go through a legal process," Sheehan said. "These are all protections that come with marriage and everyone takes for granted."
The purpose of the vote was so that the City Council can show its support for other pending cases in Florida — one of which will go before a judge next week in South Florida as six same-sex couples challenge the ban.