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12/11/2013
Sen Mike Lee (R) to waste more time, resources, potential for national unity on unnecessary anti-LGBT bill
Marriage equality activists will be the first to tell you that we are not asking, seeking, or forcing churches to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies. Our fight is about CIVIL marriage equality. Churches and individual faith leader are free to make these determinations for themselves, just as they always have with opposite-sex unions that some might find objectionable (e.g. interfaith, non-faith, prior divorce, child out of wedlock, etc.).
But leave it to congressional Republicans to waste more time on non-issues that they hope will damage both equality and the current U.S. President. Sen Mike Lee (Very Far R-Utah) is teaming up with cosponsors like Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL.), John Thune (R-SD), Tom Coburn (R-OK.), Pat Roberts (R-KS.) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) to sponsor this ridiculous bill:
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) plans to introduce a bill Wednesday that would prevent the Obama administration from pressuring churches into recognizing gay marriage.
Full: MIKE LEE AUTHORS BILL TO PROTECT CHURCHES FROM BEING PRESSURED INTO RECOGNIZING GAY MARRIAGE [The Blaze]
What's really annoying about this is the fact—THE FACT!—that the very reason why the whole religious ceremony versus civil marriage conversation is so screwed up in this country is because social conservatives like these senators have spent the past decade insisting that this CIVIL rights conversation is all about them and their "religious freedom."
The fact is, pro-LGBT progressives are some of the most-willing-to-support-true-religious-freedom people that you will find anywhere. I'm not just saying this because it's convenient—I'm saying it because it's true. Virtually any credible pro-equality activist is 100% willing to grant churches all of the religious exemptions to which they are entitled. Individuals have the freedom to push the equal marriage conversation within their church denominations, and some surely will (good on them!). But the marriage equality movement is not and never has been seeking church marriage. Our fight is for the civil licensing, with the always-optional religious ceremony guided by the church's own decision-making.
The idea that they, the same folks who refuse to take us at our word because they know their spin will help them recruit duped voters, are now acting like we are the ones who have been acting in bad faith is laughable, at best. WIllfully-deceptive-in-a-disgusting-way-unbecoming-of-a-U.S.-Senator, at worst.
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