same-sex marriage Archives

Nashville’s Jason Whitlock Suggests Himself for Twitter CEO

December 19, 2022December 19, 2022 Bradley Vasoli

In the wake of Elon Musk’s indication that he will resign as chief executive officer of the social-media platform Twitter, Nashville-based journalist and sportscaster Jason Whitlock is suggesting himself as an apt replacement.

Musk tweeted out a poll to Twitter users last weekend asking whether they wished him to remain as the website’s CEO or leave the post. The survey garnered 17 million responses, 57.5 percent of whom voted for Musk’s departure. The founder of the auto company Tesla and the spacecraft creator SpaceX acquired Twitter in late October for $44 billion and is expected to remain the platform’s owner while giving up direction of the company to another individual whom he has not yet selected.

Religious Liberty Christian Group: Same-Sex Marriage Bill Will ‘Create Perfect Scenario’ for Supreme Court to Overturn Obergefell Ruling

December 15, 2022December 14, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

President Joe Biden signed the Democrats’ same-sex marriage bill amid fanfare and celebration, but an attorney-led Christian ministry that says it won nearly 50 cases defending marriage as between one man and one woman before the Obergefell decision asserts the passage of the legislation can now “actually create the perfect scenario to overturn” the Supreme Court’s 2015 5-4 ruling.

Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA) Tuesday.

House Passes Bill Protecting Same-Sex Marriage

December 9, 2022December 8, 2022 The Center Square

The U.S. House voted Thursday to pass a bill codifying protections for same-sex marriages.

The vote was 258-169 as nearly 40 Republicans sided with the bill, which has already passed the Senate and will soon head to the desk of President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign the legislation into law.

House Democrats Block Religious Liberty Amendment to Same-Sex Marriage Bill to Assure Passage Before Republicans Take Over

December 7, 2022December 7, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

House Democrats have blocked an amendment that would have strengthened religious liberty protections to their legislation to codify same-sex marriage to ensure swift passage of the bill before Republicans take over leadership of the House in the new year.

“If we were to amend this, and it goes back to the Senate, for all intents and purposes it’s dead for the year,” said House Rules Committee Chairman Rep. James McGovern (D-MA), who rejected Representative Chip Roy’s (R-TX) amendment for advancement to the House floor.

Retiring Ohio Senator Portman Helps Codify Gay Marriage into Law

December 1, 2022November 30, 2022 Bradley Vasoli

Same-sex marriage is on track to becoming codified in federal statute and retiring U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) is celebrating his role as a key driver of the change.

In 2013, Portman became the first Republican senator to support redefining marriage as something other than the matrimonial union between one man and one woman. He attributed his reversal of his prior opposition to gay marriage to his son having come out two years earlier.

Sen. Mike Lee’s Amendment to Safeguard Religious Liberty for Americans Who Hold to Traditional Marriage Fails By One Vote

November 30, 2022November 30, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Senator Mike Lee’s (R-UT) religious liberty amendment to the Democrats’ same-sex marriage bill failed by just one vote, 48-49, an outcome that, if the legislation is signed into law, could give a green light to the federal government’s retaliation against nonprofit faith organizations, such as schools and businesses, whose religious beliefs are incompatible with gay marriage.

Senate Democrats voted Tuesday, 61-36, to codify same-sex marriage into federal law with the help of 12 Republicans, as the Senate Press Gallery noted.

Senator Sounds Alarm for Same-Sex Marriage Bill as It Clears Another Hurdle with GOP Support, ‘Without Sufficient Protections for Religious Liberty’

November 29, 2022November 29, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

A bill that would enshrine same-sex marriage in federal law progressed further in the Senate Monday evening with significant Republican support, but without sufficient religious liberty protections, and is now headed to a vote on Tuesday.

The Senate voted, 61-35, with four senators not voting, to end debate on the House-passed bill, dubbed the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA), that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act which defined marriage in federal law as between one man and one woman.

Faith Leaders Call upon Republicans to Vote Against Same-Sex Marriage Bill: ‘Corrosive’ to Religious Freedom

November 17, 2022November 18, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Faith leaders are calling upon Republicans to uphold their party’s platform that declares “the union of one man and one woman” to be the “cornerstone of the family.”

The leaders are reacting to the fact that 12 Senate Republicans joined with Democrats Wednesday to advance legislation, dubbed by Democrats the Respect for Marriage Act, that would codify the Supreme Court‘s 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which made same-sex marriage legal across all 50 states.

Senate Advances Bill Enshrining Same-Sex Marriage Agenda in Federal Law with Significant Republican Support

November 17, 2022November 16, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) moved for a procedural vote Wednesday on legislation that would enshrine same-sex marriage in federal law and block any states refusing to recognize such marriages.

The bill also would provide federal protection for interracial marriage.

Mormon Church Comes Out in Support of National Gay Marriage Bill After Backing Campaigns Against Same-Sex Marriage

November 17, 2022November 16, 2022 Admin

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints indicated support Tuesday for legislation that would require states to recognize same-sex marriages performed under other states’ laws and repeal any federal law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, despite previously supporting efforts against same-sex marriage legalization.

The House passed the Respect for Marriage Act in July, with five of six church members in the House voting in favor of the bill. The church’s Tuesday statement expressed gratitude “for the continuing efforts of those who work to ensure the Respect for Marriage Act includes appropriate religious freedom protections while respecting the law and preserving the rights of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.”

German Cardinal Gerhard Müller: ‘LGBT Ideology’ Attempting ‘Hostile Takeover’ of Catholic Church

October 19, 2022October 18, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Catholics must “stay firm in the truth” as those who have embraced an LGBTQ agenda are in the midst of a “hostile takeover” of the Catholic Church, warned German Cardinal Gerhard Müller in interviews over the past week with both EWTN’s The World Over and LifeSiteNews.

Müller, the former head of the Vatican’s highest doctrinal office, is voicing his significant concerns about the dangers to the Church brought on during Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality, a process that involves collecting the views of lay Catholics in every diocese around the world prior to the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2023.

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson Would Vote for ‘Unnecessary’ Same-Sex Marriage Bill

July 26, 2022July 25, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said Thursday he would vote in favor of a bill that would enshrine same-sex marriage into federal law, even though he believes the legislation is “unnecessary.”

In a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Johnson said about the legislation Democrats have titled the Respect for Marriage Act, “Prior to the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision on gay marriage, I supported civil unions.”

Same-Sex Marriage Bill Faces Uncertain Future in the Senate

July 21, 2022July 20, 2022 The Center Square

The U.S. House passed a bill to codify same-sex marriage late Tuesday, but whether it will pass the Senate remains up in the air.

The “Respect for Marriage Act” passed the House 267-157 with 47 Republicans voting in favor. The legislation would overturn the Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by former President Bill Clinton in 1996, which defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman. That law has been largely gutted by the Supreme Court but still remains on the books.

Washington Florist Who Declined to Arrange Flowers for Same-Sex Wedding Settles Lengthy Lawsuit

November 21, 2021November 20, 2021 Admin

A Christian florist in Washington settled a legal case Thursday centering around her refusal to provide custom floral arrangements for a same-sex wedding.

“I have put to rest the last legal considerations for a decision my husband, Darold, and I made nearly a decade ago,” Barronelle Stutzman said in a release from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).

The public-interest law firm that represented Stutzman stated that the legal battle that started in 2012 will end with a $5,000 payment to Robert Ingersoll, the customer she turned down.

Virginia House Passes Same-Sex Marriage-Ban-Repeal Bill SJ 270, But the Constitutional Amendment Still Has a Long Road Ahead

February 18, 2021February 17, 2021 Eric Burk

The Virginia General Assembly has taken another step towards repealing the one-man-and-one-woman marriage clause from the Virginia Constitution. On Monday, the House of Delegates passed Senator Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) SJ 270 in a bipartisan vote.

Pope Francis Becomes First Pope to Endorse Same-Sex Civil Unions

October 22, 2020October 21, 2020 The Associated Press

Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pontiff while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival.

The papal thumbs-up came midway through the film that delves into issues Francis cares about most, including the environment, poverty, migration, racial and income inequality, and the people most affected by discrimination.

Michigan Business Investigated for Declining Same-Sex Couple Sues Department of Civil Rights

February 18, 2020February 17, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

A Michigan business has sued the state’s Department of Civil Rights after it was placed under investigation for refusing to host a same-sex marriage.

Hallmark Channel President Steps Down After Same-Sex Ad Controversy

January 24, 2020January 23, 2020 Admin

The president and chief executive of the Hallmark Channel, Bill Abbot is stepping down barely a month after the company faced controversy over a later-reversed decision to pull a commercial showing a same-sex couple getting married, The Hill reports.

Tennessee Legislators Continue to Deny Voters Right to Elect State’s Attorney General

March 19, 2018March 19, 2018 Chris Alto

The Republican dominated General Assembly has already moved the appointment of judges to the Governor and if they have their way this legislative session, they will continue to keep the selection of the state’s chief law enforcement officer out of the reach of Tennessee voters as well. Forty-three states elect…

Two Democrats in Tennessee General Assembly Sponsor Bill That Helps Attorney General Push Compliance With Supreme Court Decision on Same Sex Marriage in Tennessee

March 8, 2018March 8, 2018 Chris Alto

A seemingly benign bill sponsored by progressive Democrats from Davidson County, Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) and Rep. Darren Jernigan, if passed, will support Tennessee Attorney General’s directive to county clerks that they must issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in compliance with Supreme Court’s ruling in the Obergefell case. Attorney General Slattery…

FACT’S David Fowler: Supreme Court Trampled States’ Rights In Ruling Creating Birth Certificate Rights For Same-Sex Couples

June 27, 2017June 27, 2017 Wendy Wilson

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that Arkansas must put the names of same-sex couples on children’s birth certificates, a decision David Fowler, president of the Family Action Council of Tennessee, said reflects the high court “again eroding the rights of the states.” Justice Neil Gorsuch dissented in an…

Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore Names Campaign Chairman For Senate Race

June 8, 2017June 8, 2017 Wendy Wilson

Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore is running for the U.S. Senate and this week announced that a former chairman of the Alabama Republican Party will lead his campaign. Moore, a conservative Christian known for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses and for promoting courthouse displays of the Ten…