The weekly report on US and International policy
by Edwina Rogers

 

Secular Policy Institute┬áis Pleased With Supreme Court’s Approval Of Same-Sex Marriage
On Friday, June 26– nearly 46 years to the day after the after the infamous Stonewall Riots– the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples can marry nationwide. This is a major step toward┬áachieving equality for LGBTQI individuals.140606-gay-marriage-flag-jsw-430p_0d16f2c44b9fcf7f91c8188822900053

 

Congress Introduces Religious Freedom Bills that Would Allow Discrimination Against Members of the LGBTQI Community
On June 17th, Senator Lee (R-UT) and Representative Labrador (R-ID) reintroduced the infamous Marriage and Religious Freedom Act, also misleadingly known as the First Amendment Defense Act (S. 1598/H.R. 2802).
In short, this bill would allow for sweeping, taxpayer-funded discrimination against same-sex couples and their children ÔÇô all under the guise of religious liberty.┬á In addition, it would completely eviscerate the historic nondiscrimination executive order that President Obama signed last summer that prohibits federal contractors from engaging in discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

 

States Try Desperately to Combat Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage
In response to the Supreme CourtÔÇÖs historic decision last week that there is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, Texas state officials have already stated┬áthat state workers may┬áopt out of officiating┬áthem.

After the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, Texas’s attorney general announced last week that county clerks who┬áobject same-sex marriage on religious grounds can refuse marriage licenses to gay couples. Conservative┬áLouisiana and┬áMississippi┬álawmakers issued similar statements of resistance — although Gov. Bobby Jindal insists that┬áLouisiana will follow federal law. Texas residents are largely divided on same-sex marriage:┬á48 percent┬áfavor,┬á43 percent┬áoppose. See a detailed breakdown of┬áwhat Texas residents think about the issue┬áand see┬áwhere residents of your state stand.

Conservative churches and faith-based organizations┬ámust face the new reality of same-sex marriage’s legality, writes Rachel Zoll for the Associated Press. Zoll points out that more than six in ten (62 percent) white evangelical Protestants oppose same-sex marriage — although majorities of Catholics (58 percent) and mainline Protestants (62 percent) support it. See where┬áAmericans from over 30 religious┬ágroups stand┬áon the issue.

To those of you who are tracking these actions ÔÇô ACLU, HRC, Lambda Legal, NCTE and others ÔÇô please keep the rest of us updated and let us know how ┬áwe can be supportive. Also, please inform is┬áif a bill begins to move in Congress on this.

 

California To Outlaw Personal Beliefs as Exemptions for Vaccinations

SB277 now returns to the Senate, which must approve amendments for it to advance to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature. The Senate passed the initial bill in May.

Oklahoma Supreme Court Victory
Secular Victory: The Oklahoma Supreme Court rules that a Ten Commandments monument placed on State Capitol grounds is an unconstitutional endorsement of religion and must be removed.
On Tuesday, in a 7-2 decision, the Oklahoma Supreme Court declared the decalogue monument on capitol grounds unconstitutional, ruling the monument must be removed because the Oklahoma Constitution bans the use of state property for the benefit of a religion.
Huffington Post┬áreports┬áthe 6-foot-tall (1.8-meter) stone monument, paid for with private money and supported by lawmakers in the socially conservative state, was installed in 2012, prompting complaints that it violated the U.S. ConstitutionÔÇÖs provisions against government establishment of religion, as well as local laws.
The court┬ásaid┬áthe placement of the monument violated a section in the stateÔÇÖs constitution, which says no public money or property can be used either directly or indirectly for the ÔÇ£benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, or system of religion.ÔÇØten_commandments__131121204920