It has been almost four years since same-sex marriage became legalized throughout the United States, but Republican lawmakers in Tennessee are attempting to finalize a bill that would ban gay marriage in the state.
Chris Sanders, the executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project Foundation, said the suggested bill is not in the best interest of Tennesseans regardless of a person’s opinions about same-sex marriage.
“The bill attempts to undo existing marriages of same-sex couples and prevent future marriages of same-sex couples,” Sanders said. “To deprive these couples of legal recognition is to deprive them of things that lead to their safety and security, not to mention their basic dignity as citizens.”
The proposed bill, “The Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act,” was originally created in 2016, but failed to pass state legislation. The goal of the bill is to ‘defend natural marriage between one man and one woman, regardless of any court decision to the contrary.’
Despite the previous rejection of the deal, Senator Mark Pody (R—Lebanon) and Representative Jerry Sexton (R—Bean Station) both said they feel confident the bill will be passed in the near future.
Tennessee is labeled as a “Bible Belt” state and currently one of four states with at least a 50 percent Christian-based population.
While Pody said he believes marriage should be between a man and woman, opponents of the proposed “Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act” said the bill would violate the rights of those who choose to wed individuals of the same sex.
Supporters of the proposal view same-sex marriage as an ‘ethic and moral sin,’ while its opponents think it is unfair to criticize an individual’s sexual and marital preferences.
There has been no timetable on a ruling for the proposed same-sex marriage ban bill, but its opponents are taking action to prevent the bill from existing.
“To combat the potential bill, equality advocates from across the state will conglomerate together in Nashville to discuss this bill and other anti-LGBTQ deals in early March and mid-April,” Sanders said. “When the bill is up for a vote in committee, we will provide action alerts so that Tennesseans can contact the members of that committee and express their views.”
Andrew Phifer, a member of the University of Memphis Stonewall Tigers Gender and Sexuality Alliance, said the bill will set the country back.
“So many people fought for the legalization of same-sex marriage in the U.S., not just in Tennessee,” Phifer said. “I just feel that it is very unfortunate some people feel the need to deny individuals the right to marry anyone he or she chooses.”
Opponents of the proposed bill said it would cost the state nearly $9 billion in state funding, mirroring a similar incident in North Carolina in 2017 when lawmakers passed a bill restricting members of the LGBTQ community from entering the restroom of the gender they identify with. In response, the NBA relocated the NBA All-Star Game out of Charlotte, and the NCAA removed the tournament games originally slated to take place in the state.
Phifer said Tennessee will receive similar backlash from organizations if the bill is passed.
“Not only does the bill violate the basic rights of citizens, it also hurts the bottom line because companies will pull events and sponsoring campaigns from the state,” Phifer said.
