• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Body
  • Daily Resist
  • POLITICS
  • Travel
  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Film
  • TV
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Men
  • Marriage Equality
  • Space
  • Trans Rights
  • Books
  • Science
  • Gay Iconography
  • TowleREAD
You are here: Home / Ohio Lawmakers Consider ‘Pastor Protection Act’ That Would Shield Clergy from Performing Gay Marriages

Ohio Lawmakers Consider ‘Pastor Protection Act’ That Would Shield Clergy from Performing Gay Marriages

November 28, 2018 by Andy Towle Leave a Comment

pastor protection act Ohio

The Ohio Senate is now considering a “Pastor Protection Act” that would shield clergy from having to perform same-sex marriages.

The legislation says that “an ordained or licensed minister or religious society is not required to solemnize a marriage and a religious society is not required to allow any building or property of the religious society to be used to host a marriage ceremony if the marriage does not conform to the ordained or licensed minister’s or religious society’s sincerely held religious beliefs, to provide that an ordained or licensed minister or religious society is not subject to civil or criminal liability for such a denial, and to provide that the state and political subdivisions may not penalize or withhold benefits to an ordained or licensed minister or religious society for such a denial.”

The Ohio House passed the legislation in June.

The ACLU has spoken out against the legislation: ‘The ACLU of Ohio opposes this unnecessary legislation, which may open the door for discrimination against LGBTQ people under the guise of protecting religious liberty. To be clear, religious leaders’ right to decline to perform weddings is already protected by the First Amendment and Article I of Ohio’s Constitution. Despite HB 36’s underlying implications to the contrary, pastors’ right to choose who they marry is not under attack.’

They add: ‘However, HB 36 is not merely a redundant piece of legislation that restates a well-established and unchallenged right. The bill includes dangerously vague language allowing “religious societies” to selectively determine who can use their buildings and property for marriage ceremonies, even if these facilities are commercially open to the public. This provision would seemingly allow churches and groups associated with a particular religion to deny same-sex couples access to non-worship spaces like gazebos and halls. The ACLU of Ohio strongly believes that when these church-owned spaces are advertised and open for public use, they should be made available to all members of the public….Religious freedom and LGBT rights are not incompatible. No clergy person has been forced against their will to perform a gay marriage ceremony. However, LGBT Ohioans are being denied housing, employment, and public accommodations because of who they are, and are not protected from this discrimination under Ohio law. Our legislators should focus on eliminating this unequal treatment, rather than trying to pass divisive and redundant legislation that targets a nonexistent problem.’

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: discrimination, gay marriage, Ohio, Religion, Religious Freedom

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Martina Navratilova Says Trans Women Should Not Be Allowed To Play Against Cis Women In Sports

    Martina Navratilova Says Trans Women Should Not Be Allowed To Play Against Cis Women In Sports

    10 hours ago
  • 77 Percent Of Black LGBTQ Youth Have Heard Family Members Say Negative Things: STUDY

    77 Percent Of Black LGBTQ Youth Have Heard Family Members Say Negative Things: STUDY

    14 hours ago
  • Don Cheadle Wore a ‘Protect Trans Kids’ T-Shirt on SNL

    Don Cheadle Wore a ‘Protect Trans Kids’ T-Shirt on SNL

    17 hours ago
  • Smollett’s Attorneys Deny The Actor Paid Two Brothers To Carry Out Attack

    Smollett’s Attorneys Deny The Actor Paid Two Brothers To Carry Out Attack

    20 hours ago
  • Alec Baldwin’s Trump Declares A National Emergency on SNL: WATCH

    Alec Baldwin’s Trump Declares A National Emergency on SNL: WATCH

    21 hours ago
  • ‘Drag Race All Stars’ Finale Ends with Yet Another Twist [RECAP]

    ‘Drag Race All Stars’ Finale Ends with Yet Another Twist [RECAP]

    2 days ago
  • LGBTQ World News Digest: 13 International Stories You Need to Know About

    LGBTQ World News Digest: 13 International Stories You Need to Know About

    2 days ago
  • Kelly Clarkson Belts Cover of Lady Gaga’s ‘Shallow’ — WATCH

    Kelly Clarkson Belts Cover of Lady Gaga’s ‘Shallow’ — WATCH

    2 days ago
  • Citing New Evidence, Police Release Two Individuals Without Charges in Jussie Smollett Case

    Citing New Evidence, Police Release Two Individuals Without Charges in Jussie Smollett Case

    2 days ago
  • Cardinal McCarrick Defrocked Over Child Sex Crimes in ‘Most Significant Abuse-Related Punishment in Modern History of Catholic Church’

    Cardinal McCarrick Defrocked Over Child Sex Crimes in ‘Most Significant Abuse-Related Punishment in Modern History of Catholic Church’

    2 days ago

Keep up with Provincetown:

Follow @PtownHacks on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and sign up for the Ptown Hacks email list.

Footer

Copyright © 2019 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in