A Texas lawmaker would strip the salaries from government officials who honor same-sex marriage licenses.
Other states would protect government officials who opt out of performing gay nuptials.
In Georgia, where lawmakers are considering a bill that critics fear could allow businesses to discriminate against gay customers, the former head of the country’s largest Protestant denomination recently urged lawmakers to reign in “erotic liberty.”
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in April and could decide by June whether gay couples can marry, and national opinion polls show U.S. voters increasingly unopposed to gay rights. Yet lawmakers in a handful of states are backing longshot legislation targeting gay rights, doubling down on the culture wars. Most, if not all, of the efforts are led by Republicans.
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“This is obviously something that was important to the drafters of the constitution because they put religious freedom in the constitution,” Ralston told reporters. “I want to know what this bill does that the constitution doesn’t do.”
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Associated Press reporters David Crary in New York, Will Weissert in Austin, Texas, and Seanna Adcox in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report. Follow Ray Henry on Twitter: http://twitter.com/rhenryAP. Follow Kathleen Foody at http://twitter.com/katiefoody.
