TAMPA - With procrastinating taxpayers filing past them, a dozen local members of DontAmend.com protested U.S. Tax Policies at one of Tampa’s busiest post offices on April 15 – tax deadline day. The Tampa protest at the U.S. Post Office at Tampa International Airport was one of several similar demonstrations nationwide in almost 40 cities by the DontAmend.com organization.

DontAmend.com formed to fight President Bush’s efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. The grassroots organization was co-founded by the same individuals who organized the successful online campaign against radio talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Dr. Laura’s television show was cancelled after over 170 advertisers left as a result of the protest.

The group protested on Tax Day to draw attention to discriminatory tax policies against gay Americans. Because gay couples can't marry, they are left out of a number of substantial benefits they would obtain by filing joint tax returns. The group wants same-sex couples to be recognized equally under tax laws.

``When you take tax money from a group of people and then turn around and say they don't have the same legal rights as others, that's discrimination, pure and simple,'' R. Zeke Fread, coordinator of the Tampa protest, told the Tampa Tribune. He also said he would marry his partner of 24 years if it were legal.

``I'd love to get a tax rebate for all those years,'' he said.

The protest was also scheduled to coincide with a nearby appearance by Mel Martinez, who was in the area touting the Bush administration's tax cuts. Martinez is a former Orange County Chairman who resigned as Housing Secretary in the Bush Cabinet to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Bob Graham.

Martinez touted that nearly 1.8 million married couples in Florida will pay an average of $2,500 less in taxes in 2004. They are among 6.1 million Floridians benefiting from tax cuts this year, said Martinez.

DontAmend.com is currently organizing a rally to celebrate the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling to sanction same-sex marriage. That ruling is scheduled to take effect on May 17. The rally will be held Friday, May 15 at Tampa’s Lowery Park from Noon until 4 p.m. For more information contact R. Zeke Fread, Tampa representative for DontAmend.com at dontamend@tampabay.rr.com . Kirk Hartlage.

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