Public officials in Tennessee can now refuse to grant a marriage license to anyone at their own discretion, for any reason.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed into law House Bill 878 on Wednesday, which took effect immediately. The bill — just a few sentences in length — only states that “a person shall not be required to solemnize a marriage.” Only state notary publics, government officials, and religious figures can “solemnize” a marriage in Tennessee, according to state code.
None of the sponsors behind the bill have been made public statements on its introduction or passage, nor have they given comment to media organizations. The only known remarks regarding the law from state Rep. Monty Fritts (take a guess), who sponsored it in the House, are from February of last year, when he spoke to the state Subcommittee on Children and Family Affairs.
So if someone’s religion did not believe “christianity” was a valid religion, they could refuse to give a license to a christian couple.
Be careful what power you give the people, they can use it against you.
This is the only way anything like this changes. Hopefully some folks at city hall will do just this and turn it around on the doofuses.
Kim Davis flashbacks.
TIL She had a meeting with the Pope).
Religious freedom only exists to enforce religion and deny other freedoms.
Yes
Gross.
Satanic Temple, if you’re reading this…
Ordained Ministers of Satan can perform weddings…but they’re more about proving a point by allowing everyone to do something, rather than by restricting people. So they’d be good ones to go to to officiate marriages if refused elsewere.
@prole @Teon
Unfortunately, one of the conservatives’ strategies at play here is they only give “right of conscience” to people with political power over other people.
They aren’t giving normal citizens the right to object to anything, they’re giving unelected officers the right to torment those beneath them.
And unless you’re willing to be as evil to innocent people as they are, you can’t fight that war.
In the end what they’re destroying here is the rule of law itself.
If I were in a government position in TN that gave out marriage licenses, I would stop giving them to straight couples… It’s not evil, it’s a protest to make a point.
Only if good people can get into the public offices in the first place.
No cookie for guessing what will the secret interview question to become a marriage officer will be in those States.
“Not if we gerrymander and marginalize them, until our great Leader returns and removes them all.” - (voters who wish to remain anonymous)
County clerks are an elected position in TN. If someone were to refuse to sanctify Christian unions then they would be out of a job the next election cycle or more likely removed from office.