I do not advocate for the status quo. Homosexuals share the same moral right to free association that all of us have. They ought to be able to enter into contracts which create domestic partnerships and convey a mutually agreed upon legal relationship. The religious conviction of neighbors should not prevent that.<\/p>\n
However, the bill you will vote upon Monday does not fulfill that vision of actual equality under the law<\/strong>. Instead, in combination with existing anti-discrimination statutes, it creates a legal mechanism for encroaching upon the rights of others<\/strong>. University of St. Thomas constitutional law professor Teresa Collett concisely sums up the problem in her Pioneer Press op-ed:<\/p>\n“Redefining marriage creates new liability under the anti-discrimination laws for \u201cmarital discrimination\u201d where none exists now, and will expand claims of discrimination based on sexual orientation. The exemption for religious organizations is so narrow that most charitable activities engaged in by people of faith will not be covered<\/strong>.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe bill’s proponents chant “there’s a religious exemption!”, ignoring what Walter points out in his piece, and what I’ve pointed out in the past; the “exemption” would cover, essentially, things that happen physically\u00a0inside\u00a0<\/em>a church building. \u00a0Sort of.<\/p>\nCharities? \u00a0Private businesses? \u00a0Free association? \u00a0Not so much.<\/p>\n
And in a society that is chock full of unemployed lawyers and advocacy groups looking for the next big grant-attracting splash to make?<\/p>\n
Chanting “The First Amendment protects religious expression!” is about like saying “the Second Amendment protects your right to keep and bear arms!” or “the Fourth Amendment protects you from unreasonable searches and seizures!” or “The Tenth Amendment reserves unenumerated rights to the States and People!”. \u00a0All are true – provided you take them seriously enough to beat back ill-advised legal attacks on them.<\/p>\n
Hudson:<\/p>\n
Indeed, this is the explicit goal of the political movement advancing the bill. In a video from 2012 which only recently went viral, gay activist Masha Gessen proudly declared to raucous applause that the long-term goal of the gay marriage movement is the elimination of marriage as such and a redefinition of the family.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Here’s the video Walter mentioned:
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