North Carolina is literally two steps away from yet another “religious freedom” law, this time allowing same-sex couples to be discriminated against for religious reasons.
This morning a North Carolina House committee passed a bill that would allow magistrates to refuse to marry same-sex couples if they can cite a deeply held religious belief. Republicans are rushing the bill through, and have already placed it on the calendar for a vote by the full House today.Â
You can listen live, here. It’s not known yet what time debate will start. The bill is SB2, and you can also follow along via Twitter. Equality North Carolina is also tweeting.
Given that the Senate already passed the bill earlier this year, and chances are excellent it will pass the House – it got on the calendar with a 65-43 vote – the only way it can be stopped is for Republican Governor Pat McCrory to veto it.Â
The legislation actually allows magistrates to refuse to marry gay couples, but to avoid legal challenges that it is discriminatory, the magistrate must refuse to marry any and all couples, for a period of six months. They can renew their objection after that period, repeatedly.
“We’re creating a situation where people can discriminate against other members of society … and not be removed from their position,†House Democratic Leader Larry Hall said, according to the News & Observer. “I’m not going to be in favor of legislating second-class citizenship.â€
The legislation is sponsored by Republican Senate Leader Phil Berger, who has actively fought marriage equality in North Carolina for years.
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Image by Stephanie Lopez via Twitter