A Republican lawmaker from Iowa has just introduced legislation that would force people to formally state their sexual orientations to the government in an effort to protect unsuspecting women from marrying dishonest gay men.
Senate File 2130 proposes that anyone who applies for a marriage license must first specify whether they are gay, straight, bisexual, questioning, or “unsure” about their sexual orientation. (There’s also a space to fill in any identity that falls outside of the five listed options.)
No answer? No marriage license! That’s the law. Or, it will be if State Senator Dennis Guth, the man who he drafted the proposed legislation, has his way.
Guth said he came up with the idea for the law after one of his constituents came to him and said her whose marriage fell apart when her husband turned out to be gay.
“Her spouse falsified his sexual orientation and then later on she was not able to reveal that when she went to court,” Guth said in a video promoting the legislation. “So this is just going to allow people in that specific situation to voice this in court.”
The law states that if anyone gives the “wrong” answer to the question, it could be used against them in potential future divorce proceedings. “Wrong” answers could include being unaware of or not fully awakened to one’s sexual orientation, unsuccessfully praying the gay away, or being afraid to come out.
A person who gives the “wrong”answer would then be held liable for the collapse of the marriage and could lose custody of their children.
Of course, the main issue with SF 2130, aside from being just plain dumb, is that it wrongly assumes sexual identities are fixed, not fluid, and it disregards how social circumstances play into a person’s stated sexual orientation.
But this isn’t Guth’s first harebrained idea.
Two years ago, he promoted the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which aimed to give Iowans the legal right to discriminate against LGBTQ people. He also worked on a Senate bill to repeal marriage equality in Iowa, and he has repeatedly vowed to “restore traditional marriage” over the years.
succubus
in this DJT epoch, one should just lie….like the master itself.
calpoidog
Iowa, like most states, is “no fault” divorce meaning you don’t need to prove one spouse or the other caused the marriage to fail. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if someone “hid” their sexual orientation. This business about “she wasn’t able to reveal that in court” is because it doesn’t matter and therefore is irrelevant.
marion
Of course it matters! If someone is weak, lies about their orientation then enters a marriage wasting years of someones life.
buckhill2
Really, I thought republicans want small government & for government to stay out of their private lives. Oh wait if it has to do with “the gays” it must be ok to meddle.
djmcgamester
Wait, so if you don’t realize you’re gay and then later on figure it out you can have that used against you? I don’t think it should be banned from discussing during a divorce but it’s not the state’s business to figure out the sexual orientation of people.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
When you are so verofaciously obsessed with something good chance it is a way of deflection….
Anyone wanna guestimate how long til this baneful vile puddle of puke’s kiddie diddling sex scandal erupts??
rbernard
It is amazing how far the party of limited government will go to prove they are anything but.
Such a bill is unnecessary government over-reach, controversial, and it won’t go anywhere in the legislature.
James
nut job. chrixtian trash
Donston
This is dumb. And most importantly, it’s unenforceable. Yes, you don’t want people manipulating folks. I think it’s completely repugnant to marry someone and not disclose the nature of your orientation or for a man to use a woman primarily as a cover and a baby producer without her knowing. But this is not a change of law you can even begin to mandate. Anyone can say that they’re “gay” or “not gay”. To avoid legal action all someone has to do is maintain that they’re not gay or homosexual during the divorce proceedings. You have no way of proving orientation. Furthermore, this doesn’t take into account the realities of fluidity or the romantic, sexual, affection, emotional attachment, relationship contentment spectrum. Meddling nonsense that has zero chance of being passed
CityguyUSA
This is how Hitler got his start.
Polaro
A dumb republican…not surprised.
Heywood Jablowme
How many Republican elected officials are gay and closeted? Probably tens of thousands! Well they’re not gonna get away with anymore if this bill gets into law!
Kangol2
A typical, not-very-sharp but clearly reactionary Republican obsessed with gay sexuality. Let’s try this: far more heterosexual marriages break down because one spouse cannot stay monogamous, abuses drugs or alcohol, commits domestic violence, has poor financial management skills, etc., so let’s have them all admit this up front. Talk about a disaster for the GOP!
ocahan
That tie with those pants and belt!
Jon in Canada
“…formally state their sexual orientations to the government…”
You mean the way Jews were required to “register” with the German government in the 1930’s?
Remember kids, the Final Solution didn’t happen overnight.
**If you think this to be hyperbolic, then you haven’t been paying attention.
pokafello
This devious little closet queen just can’t wait to get her mitts on a list of gay people.
Felecia
What the hell happened to actually KNOWING your spouse before deciding on marriage; and if you don’t, well…that’s YOUR problem if same spouse turns out to be something other than you expected, lol…interestingly enough though, the straight haters see no issue with bullsh*tting their way through 5 or 6 weddings during THEIR lifetime. As was already mentioned, Nazi Germany invented this game with PINK TRIANGLES on the death-camp inmates’ uniforms if said inmate victim was gay…it was not simply Jews who endured the horror. As for this idiot Republican, apparently the words ‘Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness’ were lost on him. Our country goes to hell with an endless, stupid war; but who’s marrying who is MORE IMPORTANT..??? Why aren’t these people being tossed out of office, I must ask..