Kansas legislators: gay marriage "religious", therefore unconstitutional

[Dakota Tebaldi]

The set of bills, which is highly unlikely to pass, takes a new approach by this time attempting to redefine straight marriage as "secular" and therefore recognizable by the state (even when performed by a church in a religious ceremony, by the way), while any other type of marriage is "non-secular" and therefore legal but ineligible to be recognized by the state due to the Establishment clause.

A group of state representatives in Kansas introduced legislation Wednesday that seeks to define same-sex marriage as "parody marriage," stop the state from recognizing gay marriage and establish an "elevated marriage" option for straight couples who seek "higher standards of commitment."

One of the two bills introduced contends LGBTQ people are aligned with the secular humanism movement, which it calls a religion. It also calls the gay pride rainbow flag a symbol of a "faith-based worldview."

By doing so, the proposed legislation seeks to define marriage between a man and a woman as "neutral" and same-sex marriage as religious in nature. It then contends the state cannot constitutionally condone a religious practice.

The "higher standards of commitment" referred to in the case of the "elevated marriage" option, as an aside, mostly involves divorce being more difficult to obtain - requiring "proof" of cheating, physical or sexual abuse, the spouse committing a felony, or years of living apart first.

 

[Jolene Benoir]

Well, that's a new one. People really will twist themselves into all sorts of pretzel logic to deny other people the same basic rights that they, themselves take for granted and are granted as a matter of course.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

Omfg what utter rabid frothing at the mouth double speak nonsense.

"Civil marriage is religious, but church marriage isn't. Therefore church marriage is the only legal marriage."

If they win, they risk future lawsuits abolishing state recognition of church officiated weddings entirely. Which is fine be me.

 

[Free]

"parody marriage"

I'm tired of dealing with parody humans.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

The governor is from the Democrats... strange, I did expect one of the GOP!

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

The governor is from the Democrats... strange, I did expect one of the GOP!

That's fine - Governors don't draft legislation, the state legislatures do. So, basically, I'd say that a bunch of GOP evangelicals are behind this, and in all likelihood, the Governor will veto. If the GOP has a super majority, providing this even makes it through, then they can overide the veto.

 

[Chav Paderborn]

Jesus was very against divorce, as I recall, but weirdly silent on gay marriage. Therefore God is cool with gay marriage but you may never ever split up?

 

[Jolene Benoir]

The governor is from the Democrats... strange, I did expect one of the GOP!

That's fine - Governors don't draft legislation, the state legislatures do. So, basically, I'd say that a bunch of GOP evangelicals are behind this, and in all likelihood, the Governor will veto. If the GOP has a super majority, providing this even makes it through, then they can overide the veto.

From the article, and I would assume she will veto it, yep.

The two bills have at least seven sponsors, all Republicans, according to online records accessed Wednesday.

Also, from the article. Referencing the underlined, really? Really, really?

The Wichita Eagle reports the legislation stands little chance of advancing and that the sponsor Rep. Randy Garber has acknowledged the language used in the legislation is “kind of harsh.”

“Their marriage probably doesn’t affect me – their union or whatever you want to call it. But in my opinion, they’re trying to force their beliefs on society,” Garber told the publication. He also said that he does not consider himself a bigot and believes that Christians such as himself should "take a stand on what you believe, lovingly."

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

Yeah - Laura Kelly's literal first act as the new governor last month was to restore worker protections for LGBT employees in Kansas, which her predecessor Brownback had eliminated. Kelly very definitely will not pass any bills like these.

 

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I'm probably the most conservative regular/non-troll poster and this is just stooooooopid. The courts will smack it down. It will not cause the issue to go back before the Supreme Court, and well - this is stoooooooopid. The only thing I can fathom is that they're trying to make what happens in the court house completely separate from what happens in the church - and they're going about it in a bassackwards idiotic way.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

Each one of those seven "law makers" deserves their homes getting crop dusted by a plane full of human sewage.

 

[Romana]

When did gay become a religion?
About the same time as it became "an agenda", I suppose. In their heads.

 

[Free]

When did gay become a religion?

Back in the B.C. days?

Gay Religion

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

Omfg what utter rabid frothing at the mouth double speak nonsense.

It's right up there with thinking that liberals are the real racists for wanting to talk about racial inequality. The Klan isn't racist, they are just a social club.

 

[Brenda Archer]

Jesus was very against divorce, as I recall, but weirdly silent on gay marriage. Therefore God is cool with gay marriage but you may never ever split up?

Given the time period, that makes a lot of sense.
Fundies project their own hogwash into their Bible as much as they project on everyone else.

 

[Blaise Glendevon]

These dimwits should be fined for wasting good legislative session time with this nonsense. Somebody might be trying to do something useful, like fix a road or feed a school child.

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

These dimwits should be fined for wasting good legislative session time with this nonsense. Somebody might be trying to do something useful, like fix a road or feed a school child.

Socialist scum!

 

[detrius]

Jesus was very against divorce, as I recall, but weirdly silent on gay marriage. Therefore God is cool with gay marriage but you may never ever split up?

His views on personal hygiene were also a load of crap, so I wouldn't care too much about what this supposedly omniscient person said.

 

[EmpressOfCommunism]

I wish the real ancient religious views of marriage were held up by these people.

At least "1 dude, his four wives, his wives accepted consorts, and his harem of male slaves" is interesting.

 

[Cindy Claveau]

We've been happy about our change of governorship after the fascist Brownback-Kobach regime, but obviously the poison isn't completely out of the legislature's system. On the upside, we look to be near approval of medical marijuana here - now that 3 neighboring states have already approved it. So, things change slowly but they do change.

Legal marijuana in Kansas? Incoming governor supports medical use