 Well, we knew this was coming, but it's officially happening Republicans are coming after marriage equality So late last month eight Republicans in Iowa State House introduced a joint resolution Totally banning same-sex marriages, which is an obvious ploy to go the Supreme Court into reexamining Obergefell the hodges But at this time it doesn't necessarily seem like that bill is going to pass however Republicans in Tennessee have introduced a less aggressive bill that would undermine marriage equality in a more strategic way by letting County clerks reject marriage licenses for same-sex couples Interracial couples and interfaith couples on religious grounds now that bill actually does have a fairly good chance of passing And I say this because it already passed Tennessee State House and the governor would probably sign it into law So it looks very bad for marriage equality Torrey Auden of the New Republic explains according to the bill which passed on Monday A person shall not be required to solemnize a marriage if the person has an objection to solemnizing the marriage based on the person's conscience or Religious beliefs Tennessee law already says that religious leaders do not have to officiate weddings They object to critics say the new bill goes beyond that and would empower County clerks to refuse to certify marriage licenses Meaning that LGBTQ interfaith or interracial couples could be unable to get married at all rather than just needing to find a new Efficient for their ceremony this latest bill was passed alongside another measure that would require drag artists to obtain a permit From the government in order to perform Both come just days after Governor Bill Lee signed two new laws one banning drag performances in public and another banning gender Affirming care from minors. Yeah, so very scary times that we're living in They're not just rolling back the clock on marriage equality, which became legal nationwide back in 2015 They're also trying to undo the Supreme Court's loving the Virginia decision which legalized interracial marriages nationwide all the way back in 1967 now I'm Assuming that their goal if we're being charitable here is just to undermine same-sex marriages specifically But if interracial marriages become collateral damage as a result of their assault on same-sex couples I think that that's a price that most of these Republicans are willing to pay and what's interesting is The wording of this bill would almost certainly trigger a legal challenge because it conflicts with Obergefell the Hodges and loving be Virginia But somehow technically would be legal under the respect for marriage act So Auden explains marriage equality is technically the law of the land thanks to the respect for marriage act Which president Joe Biden signed in December but Tennessee's bill exploits a major loophole in that law Critics had long warned that the respect for marriage act did not go far enough The bill had been amended during the debate process to say that religious organizations do not have to marry same-sex couples And the law also does not require states to actually issue same-sex marriage licenses So remember the way that Democrats got Republicans to support the respect for marriage act was to include that very loophole Which effectively allows states to discriminate against same-sex couples and Tennessee is Capitalizing on that opportunity with this particular piece of legislation So if this were to pass I would expect it to be challenged legally and potentially make its way to the Supreme Court Which puts Obergefell and loving both on the chopping block Which is horrifying to think about and if this were to happen if it were to make it to the Supreme Court There's a couple of outcomes that could happen I think that the worst case scenario based on the current makeup of the Supreme Court is that they could just Overturn Obergefell and loving and or declare the respect for marriage act unconstitutional And that means that states would be allowed to totally ban gay and interracial marriages Or the Supreme Court could uphold Obergefell and loving and nothing changes But I'm not actually that optimistic so I doubt that that would be the likely outcome I think that the most likely scenario in my opinion is that the court would uphold the respect for marriage act While simultaneously striking down Obergefell and or loving Which means that states would be allowed to deny licenses to same-sex couples and or interracial couples But those states would still have to recognize the marriages from other states Even if they are gay or interracial in other words if you are a gay or interracial couple who lives in Tennessee For example, and they refused to give you a marriage license Well, you can go to New York get married come back and then your marriage would legally be recognized by the state of Tennessee even if they denied you the marriage license in the first place now This is still preferable obviously to the pre-Obergefell status quo But it's still obviously unconstitutional because same-sex interracial and interfaith couples potentially They have to jump through additional hoops in certain states that straight and non interracial couples don't have to jump through It's a brazen violation of the equal protection clause But this would be permit permissible under the respect for marriage act And that's what this law is trying to accomplish in Tennessee But this is really all nothing more than conjecture at the moment because the truth is we really don't know what's going to be the outcome But I think it is reasonable to assume that we're headed down a very dark and dangerous path where more civil rights More civil liberties could all be stripped away from us So pay attention to this because this is what the next big fight the Republicans are gearing up to to do and This is the next big fight of Republicans I should say and um, it's it's horrifying. It's regressive, but It's exactly on brand for Republicans. So buckle up folks. It's gonna be a bumpy ride the next couple of years