Republican factions at odds over gay rights

Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.

Republican lawmakers upset about the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage have advanced measures in about a dozen states this year that could strengthen protections for those who refuse on religious grounds to provide services to same-sex couples.

The bills could benefit court clerks, photographers, florists, bakers, wedding-hall operators and others who say gay matrimony goes against their beliefs.

For a party already being torn apart by the presidential contest, the state legislative efforts have exposed deep rifts between the GOP’s social conservatives and its pro-business wing. Business leaders worry that such measures will allow discrimination and scare away companies and major events.

So far, only a few proposals have become law. Those include narrowly tailored protections shielding Florida clergy from having to perform same-sex weddings and college religious organizations in Kansas from losing aid.

A far more sweeping one was signed into law Tuesday by Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, despite objections from some major corporations. It creates a religious shield from government penalties for an array of people and organizations, including marriage-license clerks, adoption agencies, counselors and more than a dozen categories of businesses that provide wedding-related services. It applies not only to those with religious beliefs about gay marriage, but also to those who believe that sex outside marriage is wrong and that sexual identity is determined at birth.

Other proposals have failed, stalled or are still working their way through legislatures. Some examples:

In Tennessee, the House passed a bill Wednesday letting counselors turn away patients based on “sincerely held principles.” The vote came despite an online ad campaign from a coalition that includes the American Counseling Association, asserting: “Businesses won’t come to a state that discriminates.” The bill needs only a final vote from the Senate, which previously passed a different version.

Republican Gov. Nathan Deal of Georgia last week vetoed a religious- protection bill passed by the GOP-led House, siding with top business executives who threatened boycotts and dire economic consequences.

A GOP-passed bill shielding clergy and religious groups from participating in gay marriages was vetoed last week by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, who cited opposition from corporate leaders.

In Missouri, scores of activists recently rallied at the Capitol to protest a proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit penalties against those who decline on religious grounds to provide wedding-related services to same-sex couples. The state Chamber of Commerce and Industry also came out against it.

“This is a unique issue because two of the primary bases of the Republican Party are both the business interest and the social conservative. It’s rare, but occasionally those interests are not aligned,” said Missouri state Rep. Elijah Haahr, chairman of the committee considering the measure.

In several states, major businesses and sports organizations – including Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, Walt Disney Co., the NFL and the NCAA – have joined lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists in raising concerns that such measures could legalize discrimination.