June 26, 2015      5:10 PM
Gay marriage in Texas not mainstream, but closer than ever
Polls say 57 percent of Americans support gay marriage; 48 percent of Texans do
When
the U.S.
Supreme Court overturned state gay marriage bans like the one we had in
Texas, it created a smorgasbord of interesting legal questions for Attorney
General Ken Paxton. What current
Texas laws are also threatened or invalidated? Will state benefits extend to
gay spouses? How will adoption, custody issues, and the issuance of birth
certificates change? Can a religious hospital deny visitation to a legal spouse
for being gay? Will state employees who refuse to recognize gay spouses in the
course of their duties be punished?
But instead
of focusing on legal and logistical state issues, Paxton used the long and
passionate statement issued by his office this morning to assure everyday
Texans that he would protect them from the coming pro-gay—or anti-anti-gay—siege.
Paxton
said progressives and the media have used gay rights issues to “publicly mock,
deride, and intimidate devout individuals for daring to believe differently
than they do.” But whatever the law, “Nothing will change our collective
resolve that all Americans should be able to exercise their faith in their
daily lives without infringement and harassment,” Paxton said.
Governor
Greg Abbott also stressed in his
statement this morning that a Texan could not be compelled by the Supreme Court
ruling “to act contrary to his or her religious beliefs regarding marriage,”
which sounded more than a little bit like some Texans are afraid they’ll be
forced into gay marriages.
By Emily DePrang
|