Va. Republicans vow to protect religious rights after gay marriage ruling
Va. Republicans vow to protect religious rights after gay marriage ruling
Virginia Politics
By Jenna Portnoy July 7
@jennaportnoy
RICHMOND Six months ahead of the next session of the Virginia General Assembly, Republican lawmakers say they are already looking for ways to protect religious freedom after a Supreme Court ruling affirming gay couples right to marry in all 50 states.
GOP leaders said they would not resist the courts ruling, but they promised to take steps that show they are listening to the commonwealths most loyal Republicans voters that Republicans are counting on in low-turnout elections for the state House and Senate in November. ... Whats less clear is whether such tactics will harm the GOPs chances with a general electorate in which acceptance of same-sex marriage and disapproval of allowing businesses to refuse service to gays and lesbians is growing. In Virginia, a key presidential battleground next year, Democrats are likely to seize on Republican initiatives that could be used to cast the GOP as out of step with the majority.
Republicans have not specified what proposals they plan to offer, but House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) has asked Del. C. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah), deputy majority leader and a former prosecutor, to review what other states have done before they decide what action to take in Virginia.
The state already has a law that seeks to protect an individuals freedom of religion from government intrusion. The law is slightly different from a proposal in Indiana that critics said was designed to give private companies legal cover to discriminate against the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. ... One option might be a conscience clause bill like those filed last year by Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William). One such proposal last year would have allowed anyone who is professionally licensed by the state, such as a teacher or a counselor, to refuse to serve same-sex couples if he or she has moral or religious objections.