The Latest Act of Discrimination: Two Levels of Marriage in TN, Along with More "Don't Say Gay" Bills and Book Banning.

Listening to gay-rights activist Michelangelo Signorile on Progress Radio on Sirius XM as I write this blog, I'm listenignto a story about the Texas children protective service authorities investigating a young family (Dad is a prof at the Univ. of TX in Austin), with a child who is transgender this last March because of Governor Abbott's decision to label gender confirming therapy as "child abuse." Also in the news: In Ohoi, they've just introduced a bill in their legislature that mimics the Florida "Don't Say Gay" bill, which is now law in FL, but will also include race issues. I guess it is "Don't Say Gay and Black" bill. Meanwhile, in Georgia, book banning is merrily rolling along in the state legislature, especially targeting books that are aimed at issues surrounding the LGBTQIA2S+ community and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community. If a parent complains and says the book is "obscene," well then, ban that book. Of course, banning books is always good for book sales after the fact, because people can still get the books.

My favorite act of discrimination today has to do with a new bill in the Tennessee legislature, in which there will be a two-tiered approach to marriage. One of them would be more or less for LGBTQIA2S+ people and non-LGBTQIA2S+ people, and the other tier exclusively for non-LGBTQIA2s+ people, in which this tier also include child brides.

From Fox News in Nashville today:

"A Tennessee bill to be heard in the state senate Thursday would create a marriage class specifically for marriage between a man and a woman.

SB562/HB233 creates a “Record of Marital Contract at Common Law” to be filed by county clerks and establishes common law marriage in the state as “between one man and one woman,” according to an amended version of the bill.

In addition to creating a separate marriage class in the state, the bill also protects local officials from legal action. The bill states the attorney general would have to defend local officials and political subdivisions of the state against actions targeting them for their decision to issue or deny a marriage license.

Remember, this is the same state that Kim Davis, a county clerk in Rowan County, TN denied two gay men a marriage license because it was her "religious beliefs" to give them one in 2015, after the Supreme Court of the US made same-sex marriage legal in this country. 

Why have this extra "tier" of marriage? Rep. Leatherwood said it would protect those clergy who do not want to marry LGBTQIA2S+ people. Of course, there is nothing forcing clergy to marry LGBTQIA2S+ people if they don't want to. All clergy, and usually churches in many denominations, choose when they want to officiate or not officiate a wedding. There is no force of law to make me, a clergy person for almost 39 years, to officiate a wedding if I don't want to. 

Here's a link to the article: https://www.joemygod.com/2022/04/tn-bill-creates-separate-class-for-straight-marriages/

There is a religious, cultural "war" going on in this country. And it is going beyond LGBTQIA2S+ community. It is an ongoing attack against people of color in banning books and attacks dressed up against "Critical Race Theory" in elementary schools, which can't happen since it is a legal term taught in law school. Today, Oklahoma politicians passed a law making an abortion a felony in this country, except in the case of a mother's health. Rape? Incest? No abortion. 

Along with support Planned Parenthood, the NAACP, and the ACLU, the other thing we must do is vote. Vote certain politicians in and vote other politicians out. 

The other thing we need to do is keep abreast of what is going on, and encourage one another to support equality laws that protect the rights of individuals, regardless of one's sexual orientation, gender, color of skin, ability or disability, or age.

The struggle is real and now.

And, yes, we have to have these discussions in our communities of faith, because we are all created in the image of God. 

Courage.


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