DC Church Claims Proposed Bike Lane Goes Against "Constitutionally Protected Rights Of Religious Freedom"

This is a bit of a departure from our normal blog posts, but this story of one church and a proposed bike lane is an example of an institution using a religious freedom argument inappropriately.

Judicial Ethics Complaint Filed Against Alabama Supreme Court Justice For Inappropriately Commenting On Pending Marriage Equality Cases

Our friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center are taking one Alabama Supreme Court Justice to task for speaking openly about pending marriage equality cases.

Sore Losers: Religious Zealots Call For ‘Resistance’ To Marriage Equality

Marriage equality may be the law of the land in the United States, but that doesn’t mean the Religious Right has given up on the matter. In fact, a group led by the head of a government religious liberty council thinks all who oppose the ruling should employ “constitutional resistance” and essentially ignore the U.S. Supreme Court.

Kim Davis Sought Support From Lawmakers Months Before Marriage Equality Decision

If there is anyone left in the world who views the Kim Davis as a simple county clerk standing up to the might of the United States government for the love of God and the U.S. Constitution, this article should dispel those notions.

Indiana City Passes Anti-Discrimination Ordinance Despite Conservative Pushback

In a state known for its discriminatory RFRA, one Indiana city has passed an anti-discrimination ordinance.

How Do You Get Policy Change In Washington?: Persistence, Persistence, Persistence

When President George W. Bush took office, his administration set about to change the rules for how the federal government funds faith-based organizations to perform social services, like running soup kitchens, job training programs and homeless shelters. He established the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, which worked with agencies across the federal government to weaken the longstanding church-state protections that had applied to these programs. Unfortunately for religious freedom, the effort was successful and almost every social service program funded by the government was subject to these new, lax rules. 

Alabama Judges Believe They Can Deny Same-Sex Couples Marriage Licenses Because Of One Word In Segregation-Era Law

It looks like some Alabama judges are taking advantage of a segregation-era law to avoid issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The Sour Grapes Of Wrath: Tenn. County Politician Seeks To Stave Off God’s Vengeance Over Marriage Equality Ruling

It has become a cliché to say that you spotted an article online that was so strange you first assumed it was from The Onion.

It's Not Just Kim: Kentucky Boasts Two Other Recalcitrant County Clerks

Kim Davis has taken up a lot of our collective bandwidth since the Supreme Court's decision on marriage equality. A Davis-free day is a small ray of sunshine in what has been an otherwise unending gloom. Unfortunately, we're not able to give you a totally Kimless blog post, but we promise that this one will only be Davis-adjacent. 

Contemptuous Clerks: In Kentucky, Local Officials Are Breaking The Law Rather Than Allow Same-Sex Couples To Marry

This article was featured in the October 2015 edition of Americans United's Church & State magazine.

Don't Forget About Me: Anti-LGBT Bakers Jump On The Kim Davis Train By Ignoring Court-Ordered Fine

The problem with the Kim Davis media circus (in which we have participated, admittedly) is that it encourages other anti-LGBT attention seekers to air their terrible opinions. Tired of taking a back seat on the Davis Train, a pair of old friends are back in the news.

Change Is Not Coming: Pope Francis’ Meeting With Kim Davis Signals That ‘Culture Wars’ Are Still Raging

Pope Francis secretly met with Kim Davis last Thursday in Washington D.C., according to The New York Times.

Shocker: Pope Francis Supports Government Officials Who Refuse To Issue Marriage Licenses To Same-Sex Couples For Religious Reasons

Hold the phone, people: Pope Francis made a statement about government officials and their refusals to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Warped Weekend: Extreme Comments From The Values Voter Summit

The “Values Voter Summit” (VVS), an annual Religious Right gathering in Washington, D.C., took place over the weekend. The rhetoric at the confab, which is now in its 10th year, is pretty consistent: speakers preach Christian “persecution,” Islamophobia, homophobia, dissatisfaction with the federal government and religious revivalism to whip about 3,000 attendees into a frenzy.