North Carolina’s close to passing a bill that would allow state officials to refuse to serve gay couples. Governor Pat McCrory vetoed the bill two weeks ago, but last week the Senate overrode his veto. The House could do the same any day now, which would present a huge problem — not just for gay couples, but for everyone.
This law essentially allows state employees to disregard their oath of office, and choose which citizens they do and don’t want to serve. And it doesn’t just apply to LGBTs — straight couples, divorced couples, interracial or interfaith couples could all be denied access to public services. That’s because antigay legislators know that they’re not allowed to single out LGBTs for discrimination. So what they’ve done written a law that just makes everyone’s life unpleasant, which is both clever and a real pain in the neck.
Couples in Texas could be looking at similar problems. State officials there are pointing fingers to explain why they might refuse to issue licenses even if the Supreme Court orders them to. According to local officials, they can’t issue licenses until they get updated forms from the state. State officials say they’re waiting for the Attorney General. And Attorney General Ken Paxton refuses to say if he’d obey a Supreme Court ruling requiring marriage equality. All of this could leave gay couples unable to marry, with nobody in Texas taking responsibility.
Meanwhile, Alabama legislators have failed to pass a bill that would take the state out of the marriage business. The law would have stopped the state from issuing licenses to any couple, gay or straight. But legislators voted it down by an overwhelming margin in committee, which means it’s off the table. For now.
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Marriage equality starts this week in Guam, after a few weeks of arguing about whether or not a ruling from a US District Court requires the territory to issue licenses. It turns out that it does. Also last week Judge Roy Moore gave an interview in which he said that marriage equality will “destroy our country.” Moore, who currently faces an ethics complaint by the Southern Poverty Law Center, is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama. For now.
Cameron A Bloesser
Motherfucker!
Michael Miller
They don’t need money in NC.
Kangol
In 2015, why is any state passing laws to discriminate against anyone?
Why are North Carolina’s GOP legislature and its GOP governor so full of hate against LGBTQ people?
When are North Carolinians and other people who call themselves Christians going to demand this push for legalizing hate end?
NO NO NO to hom0phobia, r@cism, sexism and misogyny, and other forms of hate!
Stuart Senften
my fave state for vacations..but sounds like one of the most homophobic States in the Country!!!
Eric Ziegler
This is why, whenever we travel up or down 95, we never stop in this “God Forsaken” state and spend any of my money.
BJ McFrisky
Not that I give a shit about N.C., but it should be noted that being denied a marriage license is not the same as being “turned away.”
But, we all know a good liberal is nothing if he’s not a victim of The Man.
Jeff Eiselman
Have fun while you can, boys! That may change for you rather quickly!
Atrius
@BJ McFrisky: Describe in detail the difference between being denied a marriage license and being turned away without using similar terminology.
Theo Eldridge
i live here and teh House has this bill on permanent stand by right now. The R’s here no that SCOTUS is about to rule in our favor, and if this bill is law, it will immediately be challenged by the end of this month. sometimes even the fuckwit R’s know which way the wind is blowing
David Andrew Roubideaux
That’s fucked upp! Homophobic people take the bible toooo seriously!
John Andrew K. Carver
I had to move back home to NC and this is not the same state in which I grew up. I used to like to call NC home, but not these days. I hope the good people of NC have had enough of these folks and VOTE to take our state back.
Glücklich
So stupid. All of this effort put into these bills that are almost immediately and rightfully challenged in protracted expensive legal battles is SUCH AN INEFFICIENT USE OF RESOURCES! Are all of these pols in the pockets of the litigation lobbying groups because all of the court BS seems like it would be a boon to the lawyers.
Glücklich
Not to equate what is essentially legislated discrimination with city-level distractions I take for granted as a SF Bay Area native, but the waste of resources here is the same as the dumb-ass non-binding resolutions Berkeley and San Francisco come up with all the time. Why bother? Why bother writing up, vetting, debating, etc. these STUPID laws just like I want to ask the city of SF why bother with the resolution to publicly state their disapproval of, I don’t know, Frosted Flakes because somewhere in Iceland a blind, autistic, marginalized orphan pelican is offended by the word “Flakes.”
Michael Haynes
Let the Backlash began
Patrick Healey
Un American
Jonty Coppersmith
This NC bill is certainly targeting LGBTs and is a bad bill, but I think it is being somewhat misrepresented here. Here is the way it would actually work: any magistrate or official who doesn’t want to be involved in marrying gay folks would have to announce that and would then be unable to be involved in any marriages at all, not just the gay ones, for a period of 6 months. Said official would have to restate his intentions every 6 months. The bill states that if a magistrate refuses to do weddings then the district judge or other official will take on that role. The only point that is unclear is what will happen if all local officials are unwilling to perform marriages. Potentially some counties could have no one willing to perform marriages.
Matthew Farris
The silver lining is that the SCOTUS could hear a case on this matter and shut down this state’s rights over constitutional rights bullshit.
Kevin J Desmond
Ok … now it’s time for gays and lesbians all across this country to stop paying taxes untill we all have the same rights as everybody else. As tax paying citizens we demand the same rights as the next person !!!!
Luis H. Lopez
Boycut the Nazis KKK state !
Timothy Warner
Trouble in River City!!!!
DarkZephyr
@BJ McFrisky: “Not that I give a shit about N.C., but it should be noted that being denied a marriage license is not the same as being “turned away.”
But, we all know a good liberal is nothing if he’s not a victim of The Man.”
Regardless of what you call it…its discrimination. And I guess you are OK with that?
robho3
Ah the South….. why any gay or lesbian person lives down there is beyond me… its like going back in time to 1950.
bklynboy11209
Can the entire South just secede from the Union? Only this time, we don’t fight a war to get then back??
captainburrito
@Kangol: The NC governor actually vetoed the bill. It’s just the legislature seems likely to have enough votes to overcome his veto.
JCG
@BJ McFrisky: Yep, so sick about hearing about the “war” on Christmas, assaults on “family values” and how Christianity is “under attack”…
Wait, that’s Conservative self-victimization!
Project much, beej?
Glücklich
@robho3:
Lots of pretty places in the South. All that green, and woods. Good food. For the most part the people are very friendly, even the churchy types. I never had a problem in the South, even in NC, and kinda wish my business took me down there once in a while.
Anthony Martini
This country is nothing but a decriminating mess, how sad is that!
Giancarlo85
@BJ McFrisky: It is being turned away. Learn how to write basic english please. You right wingers are all the same. Especially gay right wingers… they make so many excuses for the idiocy the republican party does. Why are you always on here defending republicans anyways?
And liberals work harder than conservatives every fucking day. That explains why liberal states like California are vastly more rich than a shithole like North Carolina.
Lance Streeter Edwards
There is no provision in the Constitution for second class citizens, and depriving a segment of the populace a civil right that all other groups enjoy is unconstitutional. Moreover, the electorate does not have the power to legislate unconstitutional laws at the ballot box. Moreover, STATE LAWMAKERS and/or GOVERNORS do not have that power either. When it comes to the Constitution â?¦ a MAJORITY of bigotry, hatred and ignorance DOES NOT RULE!
4runnergui
I’m now wondering in NC if all state employees get to choose who they serve:
Teachers can now refuse to teach students with objectionable viewpoints?
Judges can now refuse to hear cases they feel they have an objection to?
Can the DMV now refuse to issue a drivers license to LGBT or any people they don’t agree with their views?
Where does it end?
If you take an OATH of OFFICE to uphold the LAWS of the state, then you have NO COURSE other than to do just that. If you have PERSONAL view that would prevent you from carrying out your job duties . . . . . FIND ANOTHER JOB THAT YOU CAN DO!
parrjj01
Marriage is just a traditional thing. My husband and I got married in Nevada in November 2014 – It’s not recognized in my state of Michigan.
We were both content on NOT being married, because to us it’s just a piece of paper and a legal contact.
Blame the government for giving tax incentives and other ‘special’ privileges to married couples.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m so so happy that I married him, but I would still be just as happy as I am today.
shane15235
1-the supreme court would overturn such as law as it violates the equal protection clause.
2-people are getting really tired of these right-wing shenanigans and they are just chasing off their own supporters. 3-when your enemy is busy committing suicide, just stand back and stay out of the way.
Realitycheck
They might fight tooth and nail, but those nails will break.
Glücklich
@parrjj01:
Same here. Health insurance and financial incentives.
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m so so happy that I married him, but I would still be just as happy as I am today.”
YES!
Bauhaus
@Glücklich:
Just knowing my pension (remember pensions?) social security, and even my body, when I’m gone, will go to my man, without a hitch, makes me incredibly happy. It’s not the paper; it’s what the paper makes happen, and what it can prevent from potentially happening.