AMM Joins Civil Rights Orgs in Denouncing Tennessee Bill to Strip Gay Marriage Rights

Republican lawmakers in Tennessee have introduced a bill that prohibits state government officials from facilitating same-sex marriages, undercutting the Fourteenth Amendment, and denying same-sex couples the rights afforded to their heterosexual counterparts. This proposed law is in direct contradiction to AMM’s belief that "everyone has the right to marry the person they love, and that it is the right of the couple to choose who solemnizes their marriage.” 

American Marriage Ministries condemns this latest attempt to marginalize minorities, and stands in solidarity with our LGBTQ allies.

We aren’t alone. Other civil rights organizations are rallying against the law. “Tennesseans who are in committed same-sex relationships simply want to be treated with the same dignity and respect as everyone else,” Hedy Weinberg, Executive Director of the ACLU in Tennessee, told NBC News. “A handful of state legislators cannot nullify the law of the land and drive our state backward simply because they wish to discriminate. The ACLU of Tennessee, along with many partners, will be working hard to defeat this narrow-minded, blatantly unconstitutional legislation.”

The bill was introduced by Republicans Senators Mark Pody and Jerry Sexton. It prohibits government officials from facilitating same-sex marriages. The proposed bill failed in the state’s House of Representatives last session, but it could gain traction in this session.

For more detailed coverage of the bill, please visit Equally Wed, who are monitoring the situation closely.