Tennessee lawmakers have passed an anti-gay resolution declaring August 31 “ido4life Traditional Marriage Day.” The resolution quotes Genesis and two conservative anti-gay think tanks, the Heritage Foundation and the Institute for American Values.
The resolution (copy, below), sponsored by Senator Jack Johnson, says that “in Genesis 2:24, matrimony is delineated; it is expressed only between a man and a wife,” (note that’s “wife,” not “woman.”)
The resolution adds “this body wishes to celebrate traditional marriage within the State of Tennessee,” (not same-sex marriage or marriage equality, of course.)
And then there’s this:
WHEREAS, the benefits of individuals engaged in said matrimony, known as traditional marriage, can be experienced in their physical, emotional, and financial well-being, and the children of traditional marriage also benefit in the same; and
WHEREAS, according to the Institute for American Values, Heritage.org, and Robert Rector, the benefits of individuals engaged in traditional marriage versus single individuals are as follows: married men are healthier and earn more than their single counterparts; married women have lower rates of depression and are more financially secure; and the children of traditional marriage have fewer emotional issues and experience a drop in the risk of poverty by eighty-two percent;
Of course, same-sex marriage couldn’t possibly offer the same benefits, could it?
It’s unfathomable that the Tennessee legislators can see the benefits of marriage for straight people, and not see that people in same-sex marriages would experience similar benefits.
But, then, it is Tennessee.
The resolution is the brainchild of Pastor Lyndon Allen.
The irony here cannot be ignored.
Pastor Allen, it appears, is African-American, and his wife, it appears, is caucasian, yet he is content to deny marriage to same-sex couples when his own, especially in Tennessee, would not have been recognized without government intervention, in the form of Loving v. Virginia.
Pastor Allen, via Facebook notes, “My position on marriage: Always and ONLY between a man and a woman. Gen 2:24 is clear. Traditional Marriage is the only means by which the IMAGE of God is expressed.”
He adds:
The GREATER problem in America is not that homosexuals pursue marriage it’s that Co-habitation heterosexuals ARE NOT; they represent 6.8 Million households. This is the REAL problem.
Surely this resolution will fix that…
Video via WSMV
Ido4life Traditional Marriage Day
http://www.scribd.com/embeds/137779501/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll
Hat tip: Maureen McCarty at HRC