Alabama Judges Avoid Gay Marriage with Segregation-Era Law
Judges in Alabama are citing a law that once preserved racial segregation in order to avoid issuing gay marriage licenses, reports ABC.
Interracial marriage has been legal in the US since 1967 following a Supreme Court ruling, however Alabama state lawmakers then made it optional for counties within the state to issue marriage licenses – at all, for those who disagreed with it.
God bless the South. Image Credit: The Pug Father (Flickr)
Now, some judges in the heavily Christian state are using this long-forgotten law and refusing to issue any marriage licenses, in order to avoid having to issue them to gay and lesbian couples. This has come into action since the US Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriages in June of this year.
Probate Judge and Baptist minister is one of the Judges to have abandoned marriage licenses – period. He explains: “It is a religious freedom issue, but more than that I believe it is a constitutional issue.”
The topic of gay marriage has naturally been the topic of much discussion since its legalization this summer, causing seemingly equal parts celebration and outrage. The topic has been a particular point of contention in Kentucky, where county clerk Kim Davis refused to issue gay marriage licenses as she says it’s against her religious beliefs.
This has inevitably caused backlash in the gay community, notable is fashion designer Marco Morante, who at his recent fashion show sported an…erm, interesting t-shirt design featuring a photoshopped Kim Davis. (Viewer discretion advised!)
Being gay or transgender in Thailand is generally very socially acceptable; however the laws are a little more conservative. Recently the Thai government has been praised for introducing a new law, (the 2015 Gender Equality Act) that aims to protect the rights of gay and transgender citizens.
There have been previous suggestions that gay Thai’s have experienced discrimination when applying for a US visa.
See more on this story here.
You may also be interested to watch our video – Gay Marriage in Thailand:
