Public officials in Tennessee can now refuse to grant a marriage license to anyone at their own discretion, for any reason.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed into law House Bill 878 on Wednesday, which took effect immediately. The bill — just a few sentences in length — only states that “a person shall not be required to solemnize a marriage.” Only state notary publics, government officials, and religious figures can “solemnize” a marriage in Tennessee, according to state code.
None of the sponsors behind the bill have been made public statements on its introduction or passage, nor have they given comment to media organizations. The only known remarks regarding the law from state Rep. Monty Fritts (take a guess), who sponsored it in the House, are from February of last year, when he spoke to the state Subcommittee on Children and Family Affairs.
So, if an Amish person decided to work at the DMV, they should be able to refuse driver’s licenses to everyone? It’s against their beliefs, after all. (I don’t know if it technically is, but play along, for the sake of argument.) Or… Should they maybe just not have that job, since it’s a matter of what is legally required to do something? Whether it’s 1% or 100% of the population, it’s their beliefs that are more important, right?
Edit: I know this is a shitty argument. That’s the point.