Religion: Not a Fallback for Homophobia

ELIAS ALMAREZ-HERRERA
Staff Writer

“Under God’s authority, we are not issuing a marriage license to you.” Many same-sex couples were told this when applying for a marriage license. Even though same-sex marriage was ruled legal in America on June 26, there have been countless cases of license denials among same-sex couples. In doing this, conservative Southern states such as Arkansas and Tennessee are unfairly stripping LGBT couples of their constitutional right for marriage.

Recently, the name Kim Davis has popped up on almost every social media network and news outlet. A video of her denying a same-sex couple a marriage license in Rowan County, Kentucky was released and spread online on Sept. 2, according to ABC News. In follow up interviews and press conferences, she claimed that her actions in denying the license was based on her freedom of religion. She believes that gay marriage is an abomination as a result of her Christian background and that gay marriage is not how God defined marriage. However, there is no excuse to justify these acts of bigotry.

Though the First Amendment states that every person has the right to practice whichever religion they choose, this does not mean they can use religion to discriminate against other people. Just because you personally do not agree with something, it is not a moral justification for being close-minded and prejudiced. It is not the Christian way to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but rather an act of discrimination based on the homophobic views of the felon. Nowhere in the Bible does it proclaim that Christians should hate homosexuals.

The United States is the land of the free and even though the victims in the situations are not physically imprisoned, they are emotionally confined by the homophobic views of others. Kim Davis’s decision and the actions of other people denying gay and lesbian couples their rights are no acts of God.