GOP Controlled House of Delegates Passes Bill to Allow Delegates to Defend Gay Marriage Ban

Proving once again that they are little more than the trained circus dogs of the Christofascists at The Family Foundation (TFF enforcer president Victoria Cobb is shown above), the GOP members of the Republican controlled Virginia House of Delegates has passed a bill that would allow any member of the General Assembly - think Del. Bob Marshall who has stated that he's like to drive ever gay Virginian from the state - to defend laws that the Attorney General declines to defend.  It goes without saying that the real goal is to defend the Marshall-Newman Amendment which was the brain child of Bob Marshall and The Family Foundation.  Here are excerpts from a Virginian Pilot piece:

A day before a muscular legal assault on Virginia’s gay marriage ban unfolds in a Norfolk courtroom, Republican lawmakers in Richmond are scrambling to devise a way to defend the embattled law.

On a largely party-line 65-32 vote, the Republican-controlled House of Delegates passed legislation today that would give the House, the state Senate or any individual member of the General Assembly permission to defend a state law in court if the governor and attorney general choose not to do so.

The measure is aimed squarely at preserving Virginia’s 2006 constitutional amendment that declared only a union between a man and a woman can be a valid marriage.

A Norfolk gay couple, Tim Bostic and Tony London, filed a lawsuit in federal court last summer seeking to overturn the Virginia law on the grounds that it violates the U.S. Constitution. Two more plaintiffs, a lesbian couple from Chesterfield County, have since joined the case.

Newly elected Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring announced last month that he would join the effort to overturn the state law, a reversal of the stance taken by his Republican predecessor Ken Cuccinelli. Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe has rebuffed Republican demands that he appoint outside counsel to defend the law.

The Virginia plaintiffs and their supporters are hoping their case will ultimately prompt a ruling by the nation’s highest court legalizing gay marriage in all 50 states. It is now allowed in 17 states.

The Republican initiative in the Virginia House is aimed at heading off that possibility.

The measure (HB706) was authored by Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, and Del. Bob Marshall, R-Prince William County. Marshall was a principal architect of the 2006 state constitutional amendment, which was approved by 57 percent of voters in a statewide referendum.

Democrats argued that Herring had a duty to act as he did once he concluded that the state law violates the federal Constitution, which trumps state constitutions.  Moreover, they argued, the state legislature has no legal standing to interject itself into a federal court proceeding.

“What a novel concept,” said Del. Joe Morrissey, D-Henrico County. “If you ask any law school professor or constitutional scholar, they will tell you with absolute certainty that no General Assembly can give or confer standing in federal court.”

The House-passed measure faces uncertain prospects in the Senate, where there is an even split between Republicans and Democrats and Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam has the power to break tie votes.

The Christofascists Foam at the Mouth at the Mention of ENDA

Along with denying any legal recognition of same sex relationships, keeping LGBT citizens subject to capricious firing from their jobs one of the pillars of the Christofascist agenda to punish and stigmatize us for refusing to live our lives according to their sick hate and fear based religious beliefs.  It's something I know about full well having been forced from a law firm so that my presence would not "offend the sensibilities" of conservative clients.  The irony, of course, is that the one of the areas where my own firm has seen the most growth in terms of client base is with Hindu and Muslim clients.  

But back to the Christofascsts.  If you want to see the spittle fly and see conniption fits, just bring up the prospect of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act ("ENDA") being passed by Congress.  Even Christofascists darlings like Paul Ryan - who recently said he supported ENDA while speaking out of both sides of his mouth - are not immune from the wrath of the lunatic religious extremists of the GOP base.  Bryan Fischer, a leading mouth piece of the certified hate group, American Family Association, is illustrative of the Christofascists undisguised animus toward LGBT individuals and their desire to retain the right to fire gays at will.  Not only does Fischer lie about the scope of ENDA - which would only apply to businesses with more than 15 employees in its last incarnation - but he seeks to whip the gay haters into a frenzy by depicting ludicrous scenarios that would happen were ENDA to be passed.  The New Civil Rights Movement looks at Fischer's lies and undisguised hate speech.  Here are highlights:

Bryan Fischer yesterday on his radio program threatened that “flaming homosexuals… wearing stilettos, a dress and dangly earrings” would apply for jobs in Christian bookstores if ENDA passes into law. Fischer, the public face of the certified anti-gay hate group, American Family Association, claimed “the homosexual lobby” would purposely target religious businesses, including “Christian bookstores,” if the Employment Non-Discrimination Act were passed by Congress and signed into law.

Claiming “ENDA would represent the return of Jim Crow laws” in a blog post accompanying his radio rant, Fischer ludicrously rips former GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan:

Ryan today reiterated his support for ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.  This is a horrible bill for a social conservative to support since it would mean the absolute end of religious liberty and freedom of association in the marketplace. It would, in other words, gut the First Amendment. It’s shameful for Ryan, who also voted for this Constitution-shredding bill in 2007, to be so blissfully and blindly unaware of the consequences of this legislation.

Christians “becoming the newest minority utterly deprived of their civil rights,” is offensive on its face. It is not anyone’s civil right to have the right to deprive others of their civil rights. Fischer is angry he’s losing the “right” to be a hateful anti-gay bigot with control over others.

ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, has been introduced into every Congress but one since 1994.  “In 29 states, it remains legal to fire someone because they’re lesbian, gay, or bisexual; in 34 states it’s legal to fire someone solely for being transgender.

Here in Virginia in the coming session of the General Assembly yet another bill will be introduced to protect STATE employees from being fired for being gay or transgender (those in the private sector would still have ZERO protections) and it is guaranteed that The Family Foundation will trot out similar lies and distortions to defeat the bill and maintain special privileges for Christofascists.  And sadly, I anticipate that many black pastors will fall for the lies and hate and once again behave like trained circus dogs for their racists masters at The Family Foundation.