Latest news with #HouseJointMemorial1
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Faith drives Idaho legislator to reverse same-sex marriage. These faith leaders push back.
The Rev. Josh Lee talks to a reporter at Boise's First Congregational United Church of Christ on February 3, 2025. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun) A decade ago, the Rev. Josh Lee finally came to terms with his sexuality. From a young age, Lee knew he wanted to be a pastor, but his attraction to men conflicted with his evangelical Christian upbringing. Raised in Illinois, Lee tried 'conversion therapy' three times in high school, and as a young pastor he believed he would live single and celibate for the rest of his life. Within one month of moving to Idaho, the now married and openly gay pastor at Boise First United Church of Christ spoke up against legislation impacting the state's LGBTQ+ community. House Joint Memorial 1 — which passed 46-24 in the Idaho House of Representatives on Jan. 27 — is now headed to the Idaho Senate. The memorial asks the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its decision on same-sex marriage. While the North Idaho lawmaker who sponsored the memorial said it pushes to restore states rights and 'the natural definition of marriage,' Lee and other faith leaders say the memorial misrepresents their faith. Lee's journey to advocating for LGBTQ+ rights in Idaho has been difficult. For many years, he was miserable, filled with self hatred, and had even contemplated taking his own life. 'I thought … maybe God would welcome me into heaven if I could die having been faithful to his cause,' he told the Idaho Capital Sun. That was until he met other Christians from gay-affirming churches in 2015. After coming out and leaving the church where he had been pastoring, Lee began studying queer theology and deconstructing his faith. For the first time, he allowed himself to date men. 'I was taught that racism didn't exist, that women should submit to men, and that men have ultimate veto power over women,' he said, reflecting on his former beliefs. Now, as Idaho lawmakers push to take away same-sex marriage, Lee said he can see his former self in the lawmakers who, like he once did, believe their faith defines marriage as solely between a man and woman. House Joint Memorial 1 is not a bill, and its passage in both chambers would not adjust Idaho law. Its passage, however, would send the memorial to the U.S. Supreme Court. Idaho already defines marriage between a man and woman in its state Constitution, but the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges declared that definition unconstitutional. If those federal protections were ever reversed, a ban on same-sex marriage would immediately take effect in Idaho. The memorial's sponsor, Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, told the House floor the bill is meant to restore states' rights to define marriage. Scott could not be reached for comment. However, in an interview with The Ranch Podcast, Scott compared the issue to Roe v. Wade, saying that court precedent can be overturned. 'This is a Judeo-Christian based country, and our constitution was designed for a moral people,' Scott said in the podcast. 'So that morality was built on God's word … That's what our country was built on.' Scott said the Bible is clear that marriage is between a man and a woman. Some Christian faiths, such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, share this perspective. The LDS faith, which has 476,000 of its nearly 7 million nationwide members located in Idaho, does not permit church officers to perform same-sex marriages, according to its website. 'Just don't force me to say that that's a marriage, because in my eyes, that's an abomination to God,' Scott said in the podcast. 'Do I respect those people? Absolutely. Do I hate them because they believe in something different? No. I have no ill will towards them. I don't want their lives to be harder or anything like that. I want them to know the truth, but at the same time I don't want to keep things from them.' Her bill received support from the Idaho Family Policy Center, a conservative organization focused on implementing Christian-based policies. Morgan MaGill, spokesperson for the organization, said the Idaho Family Policy Center affirms 'the biblical design for marriage is one man and one woman, joined together in a union blessed by God.' 'The Bible is clear that deviation from this design is a perversion of the sacred institution of marriage,' MaGill told the Sun. 'Because marriage was created by God for the organization of family life and child rearing, government has no legitimate authority to restructure this pre-political institution.' The House Joint Memorial 1 has raised concerns among LGBTQ+ Idahoans about its potential impact on adoption, visitation rights and taxes. However, one legal expert says she doesn't believe people should panic. Marilyn Chinitz, a matrimonial attorney and partner at Blank Rome LLP, told the Sun that although people may worry the U.S. Supreme Court could reverse Obergefell v. Hodges as it did Roe v. Wade, she said the constitutional arguments behind the two cases are different. In Obergefell, the court ruled that states cannot deny same-sex couples the right to marry, basing its decision on both the due process and equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment. Additionally, in 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act, which adds protections for interracial marriage and same-sex marriages. If the Supreme Court were to overturn Obergefell, the legality of same-sex marriage would revert to state law. While states like Idaho and Texas, which have pre-existing bans, would likely stop performing same-sex marriages, they would still be required to recognize marriages that were already legally performed under protections from the Respect for Marriage Act. 'If you do get married in one state, even though you live in a state that doesn't recognize that marriage under federal law, it will be protected,' Chinitz said. Lee was the first faith leader to speak out against the memorial before the House State Affairs Committee, but he was joined by faith leaders from the Jewish, Evangelical Lutheran and Unitarian Universalist traditions — some of whom protested by walking out of the committee or testifying against the memorial. Rabbi Dan Fink, who recently retired from the Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel in Boise, has long supported same-sex marriage. When his congregation moved to its Boise Bench campus in 2003, the first wedding he conducted in the synagogue was a same-sex couple, he told the Sun. Though it was not legally acknowledged before 2015, he said it was a way of joining people religiously in the Jewish faith. Fink acknowledged there are differences of opinion within the American Jewish community, but he said a strong majority are supportive of same-sex marriage. 'We should be supporting love and human dignity, and more people being able to commit to a sacred partnership is a good thing,' Fink said. 'Marriage is not an easy thing. Marriage takes work, whether you're same sex or heterosexual partners. What makes it sacred is love and respect, and that's not a function of gender.' As someone who has spent his lifetime studying the Hebrew Bible, Fink said marriages in the Bible are 'very complicated,' and he doesn't believe they offer a good guide to marriage, noting that some marriages involve handmaids or more than one wife. Pastor Connie Winter-Eulberg is also an LGBTQ+ affirming faith leader. She testified in opposition to the memorial when it was in committee, representing the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America which has nearly 2.8 million members in the U.S. In 2009, the church began welcoming and performing marriages on same-sex couples, she said, emphasizing the church's deep commitment to the principle of 'loving thy neighbor.' 'I think it's more about control versus, 'this is what God says,'' Winter-Eulberg told the Sun about the memorial. 'I think they want the male and the family to have control.' Like Winter-Eulberg, the Rev. Sara LaWall felt compelled to speak up against the memorial during the committee hearing. LaWall is a minister at Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, and her faith is deeply rooted in justice, equity and compassion, she told the Sun. Unitarian Universalism draws wisdom from a variety of sources, she said, rather than a single text like the Bible in the Christian tradition. 'The Bible is rife with contradictions,' she told the Sun. 'The Bible says a lot of things that we no longer practice or believe… We no longer stone people to death. The Bible also says that women are property. So this whole notion of marriage between a man and a woman — well, that used to mean that a man could own a woman as his wife, and perhaps even more than one.' LaWall said she doesn't believe Obergefell v. Hodges marginalizes anyone's faith because religious institutions still have the right to define marriage as they choose. 'In their private spheres, in their churches, they're allowed to make rules and policies that suggest that marriage is only between a man and a woman, and they can uphold those,' LaWall said. 'I may not agree with them, but that is what religious freedom actually means.' For now, House Joint Memorial 1 is headed to the Idaho Senate side, where the chairman of the Senate State Affairs Committee may choose to hold a hearing on it in the coming days or weeks. If approved by the committee, it would advance to the Senate floor. Approval from the Idaho Senate would send the memorial to the U.S. Supreme Court. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Idaho Republicans Pass Dangerous Measure to Gut Marriage Equality
Idaho's House of Representatives is asking the Supreme Court to undo its decision on same-sex marriage. The state legislature chamber voted 46–24 Monday in favor of passing House Joint Memorial 1, calling on the Supreme Court to reverse its 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges 'and restore the natural definition of marriage, a union of one man and one woman.' State Representative Heather Scott, a Republican who sponsored the memorial, provided flimsy reasoning behind the measure, saying that the power to define marriage belonged to the states. 'I would ask you to substitute any other issue and ask yourself, 'Do I want the federal government creating rights for us, for Idahoans?'' Scott said during debate on the floor of the state legislature, according to the Idaho Capitol Sun. 'So, what if the federal government redefined property rights or nationalized water rights?' Scott said. 'What does that look like if they came up with some new fair use policy or came up with different ways to define property rights? That is not a decision for the judges; it is a decision for the states.' But the memorial specifically urged the Supreme Court to define marriage, not what the states control. Scott also claimed that Obergefell undermined religious freedoms and that Christians were being 'targeted.' Monday's measure was developed by MassResistance, an anti-LGBTQ hate group that is sowing trans panic in state legislatures across the country. Despite opposition on both sides of the aisle, including 15 Republicans who joined every House Democrat, the GOP was still able to pass the measure because it holds a supermajority in the legislature. The memorial will now head to the Republican-controlled state Senate, and, if it passes, it will become law without needing the governor's signature. But a memorial is more of a formal letter than a law, and it carries no enforcement power. If the measure becomes law, it's not clear that the Supreme Court would even be compelled to take up Idaho's question—but it would certainly send a message to the LGBTQ residents of that state. In 2006, Idaho voters passed an amendment to the state constitution that said that 'marriage between a man and a woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.' That law was ruled unconstitutional in 2014, the year before Obergefell effectively legalized same-sex marriage by ruling that it was discriminatory to deny same-sex couples marriage licenses. While the Respect for Marriage Act requires all states to recognize same-sex marriage performed in other states, the right to same-sex marriage was never formally legalized on the federal level. So if the Supreme Court were to overturn Obergefell, gay marriage rights would go with it.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Idaho House calls on U.S. Supreme Court to reverse same-sex marriage ruling
Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, speaks from the House floor at the Statehouse in Boise on Nov. 15, 2021. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun) The Idaho House of Representatives on Monday called for the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the 2015 ruling that extended the fundamental right of marriage to same-sex couples. On Monday, the Idaho House voted 46-24 to pass House Joint Memorial 1. Although it does not carry the force and effect of law, House Joint Memorial 1 says the Idaho Legislature rejects the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in case of Obergefell v. Hodges and calls on the U.S. Supreme Court to 'restore the natural definition of marriage, a union of one man and one woman.' Joint Senate and House rules of the Idaho Legislature define a joint memorial as 'A petition or representation made by the House of Representatives and concurred in by the Senate, or vice versa, addressed to whoever can effectuate the request of the memorial.' Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, sponsored the memorial. 'I would ask you to substitute any other issue and ask yourself, 'Do I want the federal government creating rights for us, for Idahoans,'' Scott said in her floor debate. 'So what if the federal government redefined property rights or nationalized water rights? What does that look like if they came up with some new fair use policy or came up with different ways to define property rights? That is not a decision for the judges; it is a decision for the states.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX During debate on the House floor Monday, Scott repeatedly said marriage is a decision that should be left for the states to decide. But Scott's memorial actually calls on the U.S. Supreme Court – not the states – to define marriage as a union of one man and one woman. Scott went on to say the Obergefell decision poses threats to religious liberty. For example, Scott said cake-makers and photographers were pressured to support marriages they don't personally agree with. 'Christians across the nation are being targeted,' Scott said. All House Democrats and 15 House Republicans opposed House Joint Memorial 1, but it still passed with a comfortable 46-24 margin on Monday. CONTACT US Rep. Todd Achilles, D-Boise, voted against the memorial after calling it nothing more than a grumpy letter that will be thrown in the trash. House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, said calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down its ruling guaranteeing same-sex couples the right to marry is deeply upsetting to many LGBTQ+ Idahoans. Rubel said one of her sons is gay and when he heard about the House Joint Memorial 1 he expressed concern that he would not be able to marry his longterm partner and still live in Idaho. 'It's deeply upsetting to some of those folks, and it makes them not want to live here,' Rubel said. 'These are good people. These are good, law-abiding people who are feeling like their Legislature doesn't want them here and doesn't want them to be able to live the full rights that everybody else can.' Despite opposition from both parties, House Republicans who control a supermajority were still able to comfortably pass House Joint Memorial 1 by a 46-24 vote. In 2006, Idaho voters passed an amendment to the Idaho Constitution that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman. 'A marriage between a man and a woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state,' the Idaho Constitution states. In 2014 a federal judge ruled the amendment to the Idaho Constitution blocking same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Then in 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges legalized same-sex marriage in Idaho. House Joint Memorial 1 heads next to the Idaho Senate for consideration. If the Senate takes the memorial up and passes it, it does not require the signature of the governor, like a new law would. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Idaho Republicans' resolution to repeal marriage equality is 'foreshadowing' for the U.S.
LGBTQ+ groups in Idaho have a warning for the rest of the nation — you could be next. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. Republican legislators in the state introduced a resolution earlier this month urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 decision that established national marriage equality. The measure, House Joint Memorial 1, claims the Supreme Court overstepped its authority by requiring states to recognize same-sex marriages, and calls for a return to the so-called 'natural definition' of marriage as being between one man and one woman. While the resolution is nonbinding — meaning it carries no legal weight — "it is harmful nonetheless because it is a clear statement to LGBTQ+ communities that they are undeserving of equal access to rights that are afforded to anyone else," according to the ACLU of Idaho. "The legislature's purpose in introducing a toothless statement such as this one is to intimidate, ostracize, and bully gay and queer people," a spokesperson for the organization told The Advocate. "However, they cannot do that effectively if our communities refuse to tolerate this kind of bigotry, and we will support Idahoans in fighting back against bad legislation." The GOP's insistence on pushing legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community is not in line with their voters' stated priorities, as recent election exit polls indicate the biggest concerns were inflation, jobs, the economy, threats to democracy, abortion, and Project 2025. North Idaho Pride Alliance Executive Director Sarah Lynch and Board President Sam Koester said that they are "appalled" the state legislature would target "LGBTQIA+ people and our rights on day one of the legislative session" instead of focusing the issues important to their constituents. "Rather than address any of the many issues facing Idahoans today, the Idaho Legislature has chosen the fiscally irresponsible route of using Idaho taxpayer dollars to single out LGBTQIA+ people for separate and unequal treatment," they said. "They are setting the stage for another discriminatory legislative session by issuing a memorial to the Supreme Court that makes bigoted statements against same-sex marriages and questions the sound legal precedent set by the Obergfell and Windsor cases, as well as a separate resolution that encourages anti-trans actions in universities." When the conservative Supreme Court majority created by Donald Trump overturned the national right to abortion in 2022, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his concurring opinion at the time that the court should also revisit and overrule decisions that prevent state restrictions on contraception, marriage equality, sodomy, and other private consensual sex acts, calling the rulings "demonstrably erroneous." Pride Foundation CEO Katie Carter said that the Idaho GOP's resolution is emblematic of their party's desire to roll back civil rights across the board. "Idaho has repeatedly been a testing ground for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and attacks against our community, setting a precedent for similar efforts across the country," Carter said. "This resolution, while non-binding, amounts to an amplified cultural attack against our community — and a foreshadowing of what's to come for LGBTQ+ people across the United States." "We must recognize this as a deliberate, coordinated strategy to dismantle brick by brick the hard-won progress we have made, forcing our fight back to hostile state legislatures," she continued. "Now, more than ever, we need to stand together against all of the regressive moves made against LGBTQ+ people — from attempts to take away marriage equality, to the ongoing attacks on trans and non-binary people so that every LGBTQ+ person can live with dignity and freedom to show up as our whole selves, in Idaho and all the places we call home." Boise Pride, the organization behind the largest Pride celebration in the state, encouraged Idahoans "to raise their voices and stand in solidarity against this blatant attack on equality," saying to "call your representatives" and "join local actions and support organizations fighting for LGBTQ+ rights." "This attempt to undermine the fundamental rights of LGBTQ+ individuals is not only unjust, but a direct attack on love, equality, and human dignity. ... Any attempt to roll back these protections is a betrayal of the progress we've made and a dangerous step backward," a spokesperson said. "This is not just about marriage — it's about the right to be seen, valued, and respected as equal members of society. We refuse to stand by while lawmakers try to strip away the fundamental rights of our community. ... Together, we can and must ensure that love wins — now and always."
