The Tennessee House Just Passed a Bill Completely Gutting Marriage Equality

The Tennessee House of Representatives has passed a bill that would allow people to refuse to perform a marriage if they disagree with it.

According to the bill, which passed Monday night, “a person shall not be required to solemnize a marriage if the person has an objection to solemnizing the marriage based on the person’s conscience or religious beliefs.”

The bill, which now moves to the state Senate, is the latest in an onslaught of measures that the Tennessee legislature has passed attacking LGBTQ rights. This bill could also apply to couples where at least one partner is transgender, or to mixed race couples.

Source

When Roe v. Wade was overturned last year with the Dobbs decision, Justice Thomas mentioned in his opinion that the decision may lay the groundwork for other decisions to be overturned. Namely those that protect same sex and interracial marriages.

Conservatives assured the country that they had no desire to overturn those decisions. They reiterated this claim in December when Congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act, saying that the act was pointless as nobody is trying to get rid same arc marriage or interracial marriage.

Fast forward three months and the Tennessee House of Representatives has passed a law that could be used to challenge those old Supreme Court rulings.

HB 878 states that a person is not required to solemnize a marriage if they oppose it based on their conscience or religious beliefs.

Now at first glance it might be assumed that this simply prevents religious leaders from being forced to perform marriages they oppose. Except Tennessee already has that law on the book. This law would expand that law so that county clerks would not have to sign a marriage license if they disapprove of a marriage.

So even if a same sex/interracial/interfaith/etc couple has a legitimate marriage ceremony their marriage may not be acknowledged by the state due to the beliefs of a government employee.

If this law makes it through the state Senate it will almost certainly be challenged in the courts at which point we will see if the beliefs Thomas expressed last year are shared by at least four other judges. Until then, I already know of at least one state penning their own similar legislation.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

The Tennessee House of Representatives has passed a bill that would allow people to refuse to perform a marriage if they disagree with it.

The horror ..

How about you just find someone who doesnt disagree with it to marry you?

Why would you want to be married by someone who disagrees with it?

a reply to: ohhchongo

How exactly does that work when the country clerk for the county you reside refuses to sign your marriage license?

a reply to: Xcalibur254

The Tennessee House of Representatives has passed a bill that would allow people to refuse to perform a marriage if they disagree with it.

Isn't that already the case, that a minister or Justice of the Peace can decide to or decline to marry any couple. I think it's fair and preferrable for a couple to find a minister or justice or whomever to perform their marriage who condones and blesses their marriage.

It's the public accommodation refusal that becomes a problem, right?

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
a reply to: ohhchongo

How exactly does that work when the country clerk for the county you reside refuses to sign your marriage license?

Uhmm go to another county. People have been eloping forever. Try harder to be outraged LMAO

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
a reply to: ohhchongo

How exactly does that work when the country clerk for the county you reside refuses to sign your marriage license?

The county clerk is a "public accommodation", and isn't the person who performs the marriage.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

So what?
Anyone should be free to make a choice based on their beliefs or whatever they want without any ridiculous repercussions or canceling.
Same goes for gays or lesbians, if they want to get married, go for it and if some person doesn’t want to marry them because it goes against what that person believes…move on and find one that will marry them.
People have choices everywhere in life.

This just in….
Farts stink….

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Oh, gawd ... religious freedom ... how dare they?!

a reply to: Sookiechacha

Only one person working in that whole entire office?

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Okay, I clicked on the link.

The bill could allow county clerks to deny marriage licenses to same-sex, interfaith, or interracial couples in Tennessee.

That's not good, if true. But a country clerk doesn't solemnize a marriage. They only issue a license.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Because normal people cannot disagree and must follow the fascist diktats of their mental patient overlords !!

Obviously !!

Heil LGBT, right ?



/sarc -off

GROW THE F up and get the baker, the photographer, the cult leader that agrees with you to "bless" your "marriage".

The bill had been amended during the debate process to say that religious organizations do not have to marry same-sex couples, and the law also does not require states to actually issue same-sex marriage licenses.

What does that mean? The state of Tennessee can refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples? They''ll have to get married in another state?

a reply to: RazorV66

So you would have no issue of the government official responsible for issuing gun licenses refused to do so due to their personal beliefs?

The pendulum swings both ways. I see this as blowback from the baker that would not bake a wedding cake because they thought it was wrong. Then they were sued for refusing. Well sh!t happens and it has consequences.

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
a reply to: ohhchongo

How exactly does that work when the country clerk for the county you reside refuses to sign your marriage license?

I hope there is a gay county clerk somewhere in TN that refuses to sign certificates for Hetero marriages just to spite.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

So does this mean that "a person" would not be required to "solemnize" a marriage between a Christian male and female because that person has a conscience or moral objection to such couples being married?


Be careful what you wish for....


The sauce for the goose tastes as good on the gander!

a reply to: Xcalibur254

The Tennessee House of Representatives has passed a bill that would allow people to refuse to perform a marriage if they disagree with it.

And?


Are you a proponent of the govt making people do things they dont want to do morally or ethically?

originally posted by: Sookiechacha

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
a reply to: ohhchongo

How exactly does that work when the country clerk for the county you reside refuses to sign your marriage license?

The county clerk is a "public accommodation", and isn't the person who performs the marriage.

Wow.

I just gave you a star.

We are in the apocalypse.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

You are for forcing people to go against their beliefs.

Just say it.