Alabama GOP Intoduces Bill to Allow Judges to Refuse to Marry Gays and Jews

The Christofascists and Republicans in Alabama continue to show their true colors and a bill has been introduced in the Alabama legislature which would allow state court judges to refuse to marry sames sex couples and Jews.  That's right, bigotry is truly alive and well  in Alabama and, candidly, one can only wonder when bills will be introduced to add blacks and Hispanics to the list.  I hate to say it, but the U.S. Supreme court needs to expedite its ruling striking down state bans and then, if states do not comply, Barack Obama needs to threaten to call out the National Guard as was done at the height of the desegregation battles.  The Raw Story looks at the bill backed by homophobes and anti-Semites.  Here are excerpts:

A Republican-led bill in Alabama’s state legislature could radically alter the institution of marriage for Alabamians.

The bill was written in reaction to a federal judge striking down the state’s same-sex marriage ban, and sponsors say ​it could clear up confusion and protect religious rights. But activists say the bill’s implications would reach far beyond the LGBT community, and claim it is little more than an attempt to ​remove rights under the guise of religious freedom.

The bill allows ministers and judges to opt out of performing or – critically – recognizing any marriage that defies their convictions. The bill, the Freedom of Religion in Marriage Protection Act, also allows religiously affiliated social organizations to deny service on the basis of religion, activists said.

Legal experts say religiously affiliated hospitals could refuse visits from a sick patient’s ​spouse, on the basis that their marriage defies their religious convictions.

Judges could refuse to grant a divorce if divorce was against their religious beliefs; a Catholic judge could refuse to marry a Hindu, Muslim or Jewish couple, Susan Watson, executive director with Alabama’s American Civil Liberties Union, said.

LGBT activists say the bill is little more than a veiled attempt to legalize discrimination. What’s more, activists said many are upset that the state continues to resist the right for same-sex couples to marry.

“We could be going back 50 years with this,” said [Equality Alabama board chair Ben] Cooper. “This affects all married individuals, not just those that are LGBT.”

The bill is expected to move through the house with little opposition. Hill vice-chairs the judiciary committee, where the bill is being debated Wednesday.

“The legal team is just working in a frenzy right now,” said Watson. “They were on calls last night, they were on calls this morning, they have a call at 3pm. They’re doing research.  “Let’s put it this way – we have a super-duper [Republican] majority here in Alabama,” she said. “It could easily be passed.”