Tennessee House Passes Bill Allowing Refusal To Certify Marriage Licenses Of Gay, Interracial, Interfaith Couples

The New Republic reports:

The Tennessee House of Representatives has passed a bill that would allow people to refuse to perform a marriage if they disagree with it. According to the bill, “a person shall not be required to solemnize a marriage if the person has an objection to solemnizing the marriage based on the person’s conscience or religious beliefs.”

Tennessee law already says that religious leaders do not have to officiate weddings they object to.

Critics say the new bill goes beyond that and would empower county clerks to refuse to certify marriage licenses, meaning that LGBTQ, interfaith, or interracial couples could be unable to get married at all, rather than just needing to find a new officiant for their ceremony.

Read the full article. Photo: Rep. Monty Fritts, the bill’s primary sponsor and a graduate of Liberty University.