(Miami, Florida) Latino church leaders from a variety of denominations have joined a religious umbrella group to advocate for a proposed amendment banning same-sex marriage in Florida.

The Latino church leaders include Diocese of Miami Auxiliary Bishop Felipe J. Esteves; El Rey Jesus Church Pastor Guillermo Maldonado; and Riverside Baptist Church Pastor Otto Fernandez.

“There is nothing more sacred than that of the union of a man and woman joined in holy matrimony,” said Bishop Esteves in a statement. “I pray that Floridians join us in ensuring that marriage is defined by people and not the court system.”

Pastor Fernandez said the amendment would protect the rights of children.

“Same sex marriage subjects our children to a vast untested social experiment,” Fernandez said. “According to numerous studies from around the world, evidences collected over decades show that children need both mothers and fathers and the breakdown of marriage in the United States has had a devastating effect on society, especially on children. Marriage protects our children by giving them the best chance for both a mother and a father.”

The proposed amendment says, “Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized.”

Florida already has a law restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples but supporters of the amendment say the law could be overturned in court.

Opponents of the proposed amendment say in addition to barring gay marriage it would bar civil unions and would be used to deny partner benefits not only to same-sex couples but also to unmarried couples who live together.

Yes2Marriage, the group backing the amendment call the assertion it would impact opposite-sex unmarried couples a red herring.

“The gay activists are curiously running as far away from the idea of ‘gay marriage’ as they can. They know they have no chance at even trying to prevail if they debate this issue straight up. Instead they have resorted to scare tactics aimed at Florida’s most vulnerable citizens – our seniors,” said campaign chair John Stemberger.

“We are calling upon all faith leaders to educate and protect their senior citizen communities from the avalanche of fraud and deception that they will see on TV, radio and in phone calls.”

Last month moderate religious leaders from across Florida began speaking out against the proposed amendment.

Dozens of pastors and rabbis met in meetings in six areas statewide this week to denounce the proposed amendment, saying they will tell their congregations to vote against it in November.

Last year it was discovered that the state GOP was bankrolling the amendment effort.

An investigation by the St. Petersburg Times into funding for the Florida4Marriage found that of the $193,000 that had been raised by the group $150,000 came from a single donor – the Florida Republican Party.

A Quinnipiac University poll released last month found that 55 percent of voters support the amendment – short of the 60 percent needed to amend the constitution.