Tennessee introduced bill to interrupt marriage equality
This week, the House of Representatives in Tennessee passed a bill that effectively allows individuals the right to refuse to perform a marriage for a couple if said individual disagrees with the union. The Respect for Marriage Act that President Biden signed into effect in December does protect queer marriage at the federal level, however, the law is not without holes. And this bill introduced in Tennesee this week is using one of those loopholes to interrupt marriage equality.
This new bill states that “a person shall not be required to solemnize a marriage based on the person’s conscience or religious beliefs.” This includes same-sex unions, couples where at least one person is transgender, and mixed-race couples as well.
The current law in Tennesee already says that religious leaders don’t have to perform marriages for couples that don’t align with their religious beliefs. However, this new bill to interrupt marriage equality takes the issue to a new level and will give county clerks the right to refuse to certify marriage licenses for couples that fall outside that individual’s beliefs or religious affiliations. Without this documentation, legal unions become impossible.
The Human Rights Campaigns spoke out in opposition to Tennessee’s actions and accused Tennessee of being obsessed with anti-LGBTQ legislation.
The legal Director of the HRC released a statement on the issue, saying “instead of focusing on the issues that Tennesseans actually care about, radical politicians are wasting their time and using their power to target the LGBTQ+ community … These bills are not about protecting children and they are not about religious freedom.”
In Tennessee, the LGBTQ community, particularly the trans community is under attack. Bills are being introduced to restrict gender-affirming care and ban drag performances across the state, all in the name of protecting children. This new bill is currently going before the Senate but is expected to pass.
As Tennessee continues to pursue its quest to interrupt marriage equality across the state, watch this space as more information unfolds.
