The Charleston-based LGBT advocacy group Alliance for Full Acceptance said on Tuesday that the “parody marriage” bill introduced by six S.C. lawmakers last week is a waste of time meant to rile up conservative bases ahead of this year’s elections.
“This bill is discriminatory and is obvious political posturing by Republican legislators who are up for re-election,” said AFFA executive director Chase Glenn in a statement released Tuesday morning. “The fact that our legislators are wasting their time and resources on issues that have already been resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court is a disgrace to the state of South Carolina and shows their misguided priorities.”
Glenn told CP in an e-mail that he has heard of support to “table the issue” within the legislature.
House bill 4949, or the “Marriage and Constitution Restoration Act,” claims that gay marriage violates the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause because it is “part of the religion of Secular Humanism.” It calls for the state to stop recognizing gay marriages, which the bill calls “parody marriages,” because they do not form part of “American tradition and heritage.”
The bill was co-written by a Chris Sevier, a man who denigrates same-sex relationships by suing states for the right to marry his computer.
S.C. Rep Josiah Magnuson (R-Spartanburg) claims that the bill “does not discriminate against anyone.”
[content-1] “The Marriage Restoration Act sends a message that the current direction of our country away from natural boundaries for gender and sexual expression is unsustainable,” Rep. Magnuson told CP in a text message. “With the redefinition of marriage, we are seeing not only a breakdown of the American culture but an unprecedented attack on religious freedom.”
Glenn and the AFFA aren’t having any of that.
“Simply put, this bill is hateful, prejudiced, and flat-out unconstitutional,” Glenn said. “We urge our representatives to table this bill and focus their attention on more important issues that will improve the quality of life for South Carolina residents.”
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