President Obama did not mince words on Sunday, telling a LGBT Democratic fundraiser in New York that religious liberty isn’t an excuse for denying Americans their constitutional rights. He also took aim at the field of GOP candidates who are seeking his job for their views on LGBT rights.
In his remarks, Obama knocked Republicans for opposing not only equal marriage rights, but for not recognizing that the conversation has moved on, arguing that “America has left the leaders of the Republican Party behind,” according to The Huffington Post.
“We need to reject politicians who are supporting new forms of discrimination as a way to scare up votes,” the president said. “That’s not how we move America forward.”
Obama also dismissed various Republican candidates’ stances on LGBT issues as out-of-touch, attempting to paint them as extremists. In particular, he appeared to take aim at pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who made remarks suggesting that situational homosexuality in prison is proof that being gay is a choice. Other targets of his remarks appeared to be Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.).
“One of their leading candidates argued that going to prison turns you gay,” Obama said. “I’m just stating the facts. Another candidate boasts that he introduced an amendment to end nationwide marriage equality — which isn’t even an accomplishment at all. A third said Americans should just disobey the Supreme Court’s ruling entirely. I’m sure he loves the Constitution — except for Article III. And maybe the Equal Protection Amendment. And the 14th Amendment, generally.”
But even though he acknowledged that some parts of the country are still uncomfortable with same-sex marriage and that a change in attitudes may not be coming in the near future, the president outright rejected the idea that freedom of religion somehow excuses people who wish to discriminate against LGBT people.
“We affirm that we cherish our religious freedom and are profoundly respectful of religious traditions,” Obama said. “But we also have to say clearly that our religious freedom doesn’t grant us the freedom to deny our fellow Americans their constitutional rights.”
Obama then recounted the various victories achieved for the LGBT community under his administration, including hate crimes protections, the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that banned openly gay servicemembers from serving, and an executive order banning anti-LGBT discrimination in government employment and in federal contracting.
“We live in an America where a growing share of older generations recognize that love is love, and younger generations don’t even know what all the fuss was about,” the president said. “And tonight, thanks to the unbending sense of justice passed down through generations of citizens who never gave up hope that we could bring this country closer to our founding ideals — that all of us are created equal — we now live in America where our marriages are equal as well.”
Idaho Republicans are pushing for a resolution urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its 2015 ruling legalizing marriage equality nationwide.
An Idaho House of Representatives committee will consider a measure from State Rep. Heather Scott (R-Blanchard) that declares the high court's ruling in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges an "illegitimate overreach."
Scott's resolution asks the court to reinstate the "natural definition of marriage," limiting the practice to heterosexual couples only.
For a decade, conservatives have bemoaned the court's decision, which struck down state-level bans on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional. They complain that the court imposed a one-size-fits-all approach that promotes a particular ideological view of marriage.
Thailand's Public Health Ministry has allocated millions to the National Health Security Office, with the money being earmarked to provide hormones to its transgender citizens.
Deputy government spokesman Anukool Pruksanusak said the ministry is supporting the government's recent passage of a marriage equality law last year by emphasizing not only physical health care but mental health care for LGBTQ individuals, reports the Bangkok Post.
Anukool said there is growing acceptance of diverse gender identities, and acknowledged that transgender individuals may often require hormone therapy to assist them in transitioning until their physical appearance aligns with their gender identity.
Both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly took a step closer to removing a currently unenforceable ban on same-sex marriage from the Constitution of Virginia in the past week, setting the stage for a showdown at the ballot box in 2026.
On January 14, the House of Delegates voted 58-35 to pass an amendment to prohibit authorities from refusing to issue marriage licenses to "two parties contemplating a lawful marriage" on the basis of the couple's sex, gender, or race. Seven Republicans voted with all the chamber's Democrats in favor of repeal. Five more Republicans did not vote, while two others abstained.
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