From Americans United's Wall of Separation blog:
Three Arkansas counties have refused to drop ordinances that ban anti-gay discrimination, despite a new state law designed to block them from enforcing the laws. The Associated Press (AP) reports that Little Rock, Hot Springs and Pulaski County are keeping the ordinances; a fourth municipality, Eureka Springs, has not yet reached a decision.
In an e-mail that's as abusive to the eyes as it is to the intellect, Faith 2 Action's Janet Porter has called upon the attorneys general of Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, and Kentucky to join her motion to "Rehear Obergefell v. Hodges" before the Supreme Court (minus Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan, who must recuse themselves for performing marriages for same-sex couples).
We get it. There are a lot of anti-marriage equality religious leaders out there. It's unfortunate, but it's true. However, most air their hate in the relatively sedate atmosphere of a church sanctuary. Most do not set up their web cameras, flip their baseball caps backwards, and reach for their trusty semi-automatic assault rifles in order to grace the world with their opinions.
Wheaton College, a Christian school of higher education in Illinois, is refusing to offer its student health plan this year after the Obama administration released new contraceptive accommodations for religious non-profits late last week.
When the Obama administration's newly updated contraception accommodations came down late last week, anti-choice supporters showed their true colors.
In a news conference on Tuesday, July 14, Texas religious leaders launched a coalition called REAL MARRIAGE: One Man/One Woman for Life, which will target businesses and and politicians who support the Supreme Court's marriage equality decision. While the group refused to elaborate on their targets, they did waste oxygen on some incredibly vile statements.
Thought Casey Davis, the county clerk who has refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, would go away after being ordered by the Kentucky governor to do his job?
In the words of The Princess Bride: get used to disappointment.
Since the Supreme Court's landmark Obergefell v. Hodges decision earlier this summer, the Religious Right has been desperately scrambling for any talking point that would allow them to stay relevant in the national conversation. According to Politico, it looks like they've hit on one:
"A number of religious conservatives told POLITICO that the key to winning...upcoming legislative and legal battles will be employing tactics refined by the same-sex marriage movement that recently defeated them...
From Americans United's Wall of Separation blog:
"This week, Americans United launched a new initiative, Protect Thy Neighbor (PTN), which is intended to stop religious zealots from using “religious freedom” as an excuse to discriminate against others. Unsurprisingly, those who are intent on discriminating against LGBT persons and others were none too happy about AU’s announcement.
Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins took to one of FRC’s many publications to denounce AU’s work as evidence of Christian “persecution.”
From The New York Times:
"Not so long ago, of course, government officials invoked religious beliefs to justify all manner of racial segregation and discrimination, including laws banning interracial marriage. The Supreme Court struck down that marriage ban in 1967 in Loving v. Virginia.
It is impossible to imagine any county clerk or judge now claiming a right not to marry an interracial couple based on religious beliefs. And yet, that would be analogous to what these public employees are doing in refusing to serve same-sex couples. The Constitution’s protection of religious freedom simply does not include the right to discriminate against others in the public sphere."
