Quote of the Day

The opponents of same-sex marriage have thrown out many arguments against it, most of them without a rational basis or designed simply to obscure their real reason for opposition: They simply don't think homosexuals deserve the same legal rights that they do.

These arguments are mostly falling on deaf ears, apparently, since public opinion continues to change in favor of marriage equality, but that doesn't stop opponents from using half truths, misrepresentations, or even outright lies to advance their agenda.

One of their favorite arguments of late is that legalizing same-sex marriage will somehow lead to restrictions on religious liberty, even "criminalization" of religious opposition to homosexuality, and many conservative religious leaders and pundits are now making this argument the centerpiece of their campaign against gay marriage.

. . . [But] it's not true.

. . . [O]pponents of same-sex marriage point to the 2003 case of a Swedish Pentecostal minister named Aake Green, who was taken to court for comparing homosexuality to cancer, as the perfect example of the slippery slope gay marriage will put us on. His 2004 conviction, however, had nothing to do with gay marriage, which didn't even exist at the time. Aake was charged under Sweden's hate crimes statute. Unlike America, many European countries lack the free speech guarantees we take for granted. Even in Sweden, however, his conviction was ultimately overturned. Apparently, facts rarely get in the way of a politician or a preacher on a mission.

The same is true here in the United States. Opponents of same sex marriage cannot point to a single case where a church or religious institution in America has been forced to conduct or sanction a same sex wedding.

– David Lampo

"The Right’s Bait and Switch on Same-Sex Marriage
The Blaze via Yahoo! News
August 1, 2013

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Marriage Equality: Simple Answers to NOM's Complicated Lies
Lisa Cressman's Concise, Reasonable Answers to Marriage Equality Questions
Doug Mataconis on the Bishops, Religious Freedom, and Living in a Civil Society
Distinguishing Between Roman Catholic Theology and Civil Law in the Struggle for Marriage Equality
Quote of the Day – November 19, 2012
A Head and Heart Response to the Catholic Hierarchy's Opposition to Marriage Equality
Joseph O'Leary Responds to Carson Holloway's Arguments Against Gay Marriage
Marianne Duddy-Burke on Religious Liberty vs. Same-Sex Marriage
Joseph Palacios: "The Church is Not the Victim"