Nearly 100 county clerks in Tennessee just received a threatening letter saying they’ve been breaking the law by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Attorney David Fowler, general counsel for the Family Action Council of Tennessee’s Constitutional Government Defense Fund, penned a letter to 95 of the state’s county clerks accusing them of violating Title XI Section 8 of Tennessee’s Constitution.
Title XI reads: “The relationship of one (1) man and one (1) woman shall be the only legally recognized marital contract in this state” and that any policy, law or judicial interpretations that challenge that will be ‘void and unenforceable in Tennessee.'”
Fowler is representing 11 Christian ministers who are currently challenging the Tennessee Department of Health over the constitutionality of the state’s marriage license. They claim same-sex marriage poses a “grave civil rights issue” and should not be allowed in the state.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Never mind the fact that his issue was settled nearly five years ago when SCOTUS made marriage equality the law of the land and that Article VI, Paragraph 2 of the U.S.Constitution, also known as the Supremacy Clause, states that federal law trumps state laws and state constitutions.
“The state’s definition of marriage implicates the civil rights of the ministers in regard to the liberty of conscience guaranteed to them under the Tennessee Constitution and in regard to the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment promise not to prohibit the free exercise of religion and its prohibition on government-compelled speech,” the letter states.
The letter demands country clerk’s use the old marriage certificates that were issued before 2015’s SCOTUS ruling or stop giving out marriage licenses all together until the state’s constitution is changed to no longer define marriage as being between “one man and one woman.”
If no action is taken within 60 days, the petitioners plan to file a lawsuit in state court.
Related: Tennessee just snuck through a law to chip away at marriage equality and hardly anyone noticed
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Hey David Fowler:
How’s bout you offer a single piece of evidence how two people in a loving relationship seek to get married has any negative affect or effect on your miserable abhorrent noxious life?
TimothyBeauchamp
Also, why do these “family values marriage between one man and woman” assholes always get caught sexually molesting kids? I fine example is Oklahoma’s Ralph Shortwt who sexualy trafficked a boy.
winemaker
Wow, this BULLS**T still happening 5 years after the US Supreme Court decided the issue once and for all, nationwide, all 50 states: ‘Marriage Equality is now the law of the land’, period! While people can object to this along with other reasons on religious beliefs, the law trumps religious beliefs. We had some issue awhile ago in Kentucky with some hypocrite named Kim Davis, who objected and refused to issue marriage licences to gay couples on religious beliefs despite the fact she’d been married and divorced several times and according to religious law, she committed adultry as she went outside of her vows with her subseguent husbands. Time to boycott Tennessee starting immediately. This has worked in the past, no doubt will work in the future. BTW: county officials who object and refuse to carry out a legal procedure such as issuing gay marriage licences have no business objecting on religious grounds and need to be fired or quit their jobs. Time for these idiots to get with the program or find other jobs.
TomG
I don’t understand this. Marraige is just a legal contract regarding property rights, etc. If you are against equality and same sex marraige then DON’T marry someone of the same gender. How difficult is that ?
ATX1954
Money. Portraying your constituency as victims is effective. Politicians and so-called clergy (be they called father, minister, preacher and the biggest joke, “pastor”) have been feeding their followers’ fears for ever – it’s a proved methodology.
The latest way to cheat gay folks out of the benefits accrued to married couples is for a public servant to claim his or her’s “freedom of religion” is somehow compromised by the 2015 SCOTUS opinion regarding validity of gay marriages. A public official claiming the the SCOTUS opinion works as an abridgment of his or her religious beliefs should refrain from campaigning for or holding a job that is intended to serve every citizen in their jurisdiction.
Sick of this neanderthal-level thinking; combating it is worth the effort; pompous swine.
Cam
They are attempting to bully government employees into breaking federal law. They need to be arrested.
Chrisk
Their reasoning is that it’s a “grave civil rights issue” but it doesn’t elaborate on why it’s so grave. Of coarse this is why it always falls apart for them in court.
I wonder how many poor, hungry, and homeless they’ve helped? My guess none. Evil F*cks.
rand503
Not only are they bullying clerks into denying them a marriage, they are hoping that at least one of them will come forward to support their lawsuit. They need at least one to create a ‘controversy’. It probably isn’t enough, but they need at least that.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
All is fallout from the Orange Puppet’s misadmistration. These vile smcubags now feel empowered..
JaredMacBride
Bible thumpers have always felt (and been) empowered and entitled. It didn’t start in 2017.
fireman452
true it is that so called current day “christians” have always felt empowered but you are right the current orangoutang in DC is making things FAR FAR worse – sigh
TimothyBeauchamp
They feel empowered because, rather than pass laws to benefit tax payers, Mitch McConnell has been shoving right wing idealogue homophobic federal judges on the bench. It’s a nice reminder how fragile our LGBTQ victories are and that elections matter AND BOTH SIDES ARE NOT THE SAME!
Brian
Good Lord, this has nothing to do with Trump. Did you sleep through the entire fight to make same sex marriage happen?
JaredMacBride
Lawyers for special interest groups do this all the time. Since he’s not writing their checks the clerks don’t pay any attention to his drivel.
RIGay
Anonymously!!!
Michael1500
This case will be thrown out by Summary Judgment. The U.S. Supreme Court has mandated the law here.
Chris
We have three branches of government for checks and balances so rogue individuals can’t run ruff-shod over the laws and do what they want as in this example. Tennessee needs to deal with that fact whether they like it or not.
KerryB
Come on, it’s Tennessee. There are far more marriage licenses issues to brothers and sisters than there are to gays.
baggins435
How very “Christian” of them to consider it a “grave civil rights issue” that two people they don’t know are allowed to marry. I’ve asked anti-marriage people before why they are opposed to two men or women marrying-without invoking religion- and they can NEVER give a coherent, logical reason. Because “icky” isn’t a reason and you certainly don’t need a religious wedding in this country. Christian churches didn’t get involved with marriage until about 1,000 years ago. Before that they only recorded the marriage if the happy couple told them because priests were usually the only ones who were literate and therefore the churches kept the local records. Christianity has supported men selling their daughters and sisters into marriage. Forcing young girls to marry old men. Widows to marry their late husband’s brother. And marriages that were strictly business deals. And they have the gall to oppose the marriage of two who love each other.
Billysees
baggins435 wrote —
‘And they have the gall to oppose the marriage of two who love each other.’
I would replace the word ‘gall’ with the word ‘ignorance’. It fits better.
Mack
I think what is fixing to happen is once ONE county clerk issues a license after the time period they will file suit in hope to make it back to the Supreme Court. With Trump’s appointees they’re hoping there will be a new ruling from the Supremes. They’ve pretty much have done the same thing with Roe V Wade, now the Supremes are going to rule again on it.
Hussain-TheCanadian
Shouldnt this used, unwashed dildo, and his “family values” organization focus on the reason why 50% of marriages end up in divorce and try and fix that before shoving his nose in what gay people do?
I thought a “family values” organization would focus on the stability of marriages, which tends to end due to money related issues mainly (thank you capitalism), wouldnt fighting gay couples who desire to be married is essentially fighting the stability of the family unit, especially the well being of children?
The united states education system needs to include courses on logic, critical thinking, reasoning, and philosophy starting in high school.
sillyme
Hey Hussain-TheCanadian, just a note it needs to start before high school for it to have any greater impact on the kids so to say for the ones coming out now are more open and not really learning from the parents but from social media but your correct it needs to happen for certain and starts now and fast. But I’ve lived in Tennessee in the past and didn’t like it then but that was in Nashville and then like 20 yrs later went to Memphis for a wedding of a friend and it was nice get trip but it’s bible thumping baptist there and not for me, was glad to leave there but large gay population there by far, Great community there. Love the people but not the “Bible thumping creeps.”
Hussain-TheCanadian
Thank you for that sillyme, it puts s smile on my face to know that Tennessee has a thriving gay community.
They teach us critical thinking and logic starting in grade 10 in Canada, I graduated from high school in 2000, so I’m not sure if those courses have been expanded. It did wonders for me learning those courses, it expanded my mind, it allowed me to analyze both Canadian and Arab cultures, recognize the good and the bad.
We would be doing our young people a great service by teaching them these courses, its exercise of the mind, that would erode alot of our social woes and ultimately create a populace that fight and builds a society for everyone.
I agree with you on teaching the above courses earlier, even in Canada we dont learn Roman and Greek philosophy till university, the earlier the better.
Terrycloth
Terrible sign..if i i didn’t read the article i wouldnt have got Tennessee out of that ..looks like a J and i thought it was another country.
Are they afraid evety single gay person will flock to Tennessee making it a totally gay state ? There are 49 0thers…
Doug
Stupid. Good luck with their useless lawsuit.
TomG
I don’t understand this. Marraige is just a legal contract regarding property rights, etc. If you are against equality and same sex marraige then DON’T marry someone of the same gender. How difficult is that ?
nmarkwb
Those Christian Ministers NEED TO BUTT OUT AND MIND THEIR OWN FRIGGING BUSINESS. ????????
nmarkwb
@Tom G. They don’t care. These pastors think that god gave them the right to dictate THEIR MORAL CODE on their Fellow Americans. There is no rhyme or reason. Trust me. Arguing with these people literally is FUTILE. All you’ll succeed in doing is smashing your skull on the brick was out of utter frustration.
Celtic
Dare I say it: This IS, after all, TENNESSEE. They act as though they “OWN” God and Christ when, in fact, they are great distance from God & Christ. This is a sad statement about Tennessee. Nashville is the country music capital of the world. Where is the C & W community in this? Or, perhaps, it matters none whatsoever to them.
These fake Christians (cultic zealots) have no keen or rightful sense of what believing is all about.
GayEGO
David FOWLer is a homophobic mentally ill individual who needs a psychiatrist as he does not understand the difference between civil laws and religious doctrines. We are the United States of America, not the Divided States of America. Separation of Church and State must be followed by all states.
Felecia
Is this any sort of surprise at all, people….there are rumors that Tennessee INVENTED the proverbial ‘closet’ we used to have to hide in; I suspect that the REAL intent here is to piss off the Feds enough to have several platoons of Hot & Gay military men and women sent to this ridiculous state to ‘restore order’ among the locals…which we usually call cruising, lol….the law is the law, and the Great Marriage Debate is finished in our civilized nation. Like I told Confederate actors doing that stupid war re-enactment every weekend; ” Your sick agenda tanked, you LOST. Either redo it with actual bullets, or crawl away like the whining a**holes you are and GET OVER IT..” ..fortunately for us, however, the LGBT community no longer requires swamps like the bars and do-it-yourself recording studios in Nashville to make it big in country music. We now have ‘The Voice’, lol….