Watch: Hero Jim Obergefell Tells House Republicans Why First Amendment Defense Act Is Discriminatory

Lead Plaintiff in Supreme Court Marriage Case Slams Anti-LGBTQ ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill During Testimony Before Congressional Committee

Jim Obergefell won yet another battle in the war for LGBT equality Tuesday morning when he testified before the powerful House Oversight Committee against a bill that would strip LGBT people, especially same-sex couples, of their civil rights under the guise of protecting religious liberty.

As the lead plaintiff in the 2015 Supreme Court case that found the Constitution does provide the right to marriage to same-sex couples, Obergefell has spent the past year advocating for equality across the nation. Testifying before a Republican-orchestrated hearing on the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), one of the most sweeping and anti-gay bills filed in Congress in years, he spoke simple yet robust truth to power.

“Earlier in this hearing it was stated that the purpose of the First Amendment Defense Act is to ensure no one is discriminated against because of how they view marriage,” Obergefell told the Committee. “I would like you to read the bill again and understand that is exactly what the bill does. It allows discrimination against me and couples like me and John across this country  who believe in marriage equality, who beleive in our constitutional right to marry the person we love.”

“I believe that the United States Congress must be better than this,” he implored. 

“Religious liberty is a core American value,” Obergefell also told the Committee. “Everyone in this country is free to believe – or not – and to live out their faith as they see fit, provided that they do not do so in a way that harms other people. As I see it, this legislation turns this value on its head by permitting discrimination and harm under the guise of religious liberty.”

Watch his powerful and eloquent statement:

Simply put, the First Amendment Defense Act is a license to discriminate designed for people of faith who want special rights. It would allow them to bypass existing laws and discriminate against same-sex couples and even single parents, merely by claiming they believe marriage is reserved for different-sex couples and sex must happen only within the bounds of such a marriage. 

 

Image: Screenshot via YouTube