Last Friday the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same sex marriage in all 50 states of the US. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia already have laws on their books which allow for same sex marriage while the remaining 13 states, mainly in the South and Midwest had banned same sex marriage.
Without going into too much political bullshit, the court ruled marriage equality is guaranteed under the 14th amendment to the US constitution. I see this ruling as the same as the Supreme Court ruling that allowed interracial couples to marry legally. Erin and I could not be married now if it weren’t for Richard and Mildred Loving’s fight against the system, Friday’s ruling is the 21st century civil rights equivalent.
I have no issue with individuals having a belief that same sex or indeed interracial marriage is wrong, that’s their constitutional right to have that opinion. But where I do take exception is when county clerks refuse to discharge their civic duty to issue a marriage license to same sex couples. Some people have resigned from their county positions because of their religious beliefs in light of the court decision, which is the right thing to do, but others simply intend to refuse to issue a marriage license to same sex couples.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has suggested that county employees refuse to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples under religious freedom laws if it goes against their faith. Backed up by an army of conservative lawyers waiting in the wings to defend county employees on a pro-bono basis should a lawsuit be brought against said employees because of their refusal to issue a same sex marriage license.
I 100% believe that any religious belief is a truly personal thing and should be checked-in at the door of the workplace. If religious beliefs are so strong that they can not do their job because of it, time to go and find alternative employment. A person should not and cannot be allowed to circumvent federal and/or state laws because it conflicts with their personal faith, anyone doing so should be fired and prosecuted!
Obviously I am one or those bleeding heart liberal types, I believe everyone should have the same rights and privileges regardless of sex, race, religion, sexual orientation or (insert type/class of person). I don’t understand why people are so against same sex marriage, just issue the damn license and move on with your day, issuing a piece of paper should have no long lasting effect on their existence in any way.
Final thought, the issue with the constitution is that it contradicts itself, how can we have religious freedom when the constitution guarantees certain rights that go against Christian principles. It’s a catch22 situation, what trumps what, should religious freedoms trump constitutional rights or vice-versa?