Exemptions from marriage equality?
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
Robin Fretwell Wilson missed the point in her Nov. 1 Local Opinions commentary, "A marriage equality bill that respects religious objectors."
The right to marry is a civil one, not religion-based. No one in the United States is considered married without a government-issued license.
Therefore, legislation allowing same-sex marriage should only exempt religious organizations from having to perform religious ceremonies for same-sex couples if that violates the organizations' tenets. It should not allow them to discriminate against gays in any other way, especially since most receive public support by being tax-exempt. If these organizations choose to discriminate, the government has every right not to do business with them. And rather than complaining, they should feel blessed for not losing their tax-exempt status.
Ms. Wilson said the D.C. Council should clarify matters by allowing people and organizations to step aside from facilitating same-sex marriages if doing so would violate deeply held religious beliefs, provided no hardship is created for same-sex couples. Not only would crafting such legislation be incredibly difficult, but it would also open the door to all sorts of litigation.
John DesMarteau, Washington
--
The conclusion that one gathers from Robin Fretwell Wilson's unfortunate premise is that religious views justify prejudiced behavior. As a gay resident of the District and a practicing Roman Catholic, I am astonished by the "logic" behind this argument. I seriously doubt that any denominational tenets justifying the denial of rights to African Americans or Jews would be seriously argued in the public forum; yet lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people continue to be singled out as second-class citizens and subjected to this type of attack.
Religious objectors must not be awarded an exemption from legislation promoting equality in marriage. Justice demands equal treatment under the law.
John E. Lazar, Washington
The writer is a working member of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club's Equality Board.
