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Recent polls suggest the majority of Americans agree with the Supreme Court鈥檚 landmark ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, but opposition to same-sex marriage remains prevalent in southern states like Texas and Louisiana.
Just this week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said that county clerks don鈥檛 need to issue marriage licenses if doing so goes against their faith. Paxton and other opponents of same-sex marriage argue that the government shouldn鈥檛 be allowed to interfere with how someone practices their faith.
Now one Texas State Representative is expanding on that argument 鈥� trying to get the government out of the business of issuing marriage licenses altogether, regardless of the couples' genders.
Rep. David Simpson (R-Longview) is calling onGov. Greg Abbott to convene a special session of the legislature to 鈥� as he puts it 鈥� 鈥減rotect marriage from government.鈥�
鈥淕overnment marriage just really needs to go away,鈥� Simpson tells the Texas Standard. 鈥淚t鈥檚 cheapened it, it鈥檚 redefined it, it鈥檚 parceled it out for profit.鈥� Simpson鈥檚 solution? 鈥淟et鈥檚 just get government and marriage separated from one another.鈥�
However, many of the benefits that come with marriage 鈥� healthcare, social security, disability, adoption 鈥� require an official state recognition of marriage for the benefits to take effect. So how would Simpson鈥檚 plan affect eligibility for benefits for those families? 鈥淭he state should 鈥� and can 鈥� continue to recognize marriage. What I鈥檓 saying is let鈥檚 end its issuance of marriage licenses,鈥� he says. 鈥淕overnment didn鈥檛 create marriage. It should recognize it and protect it, but let鈥檚 just end it as the authorizer of marriage.鈥�
Simpson argues that the issuance of a marriage license isn鈥檛 what makes a marriage official or special. 鈥淚鈥檝e never shown my marriage license to anyone,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure where it is.鈥�
So what does Simpson think we should do in place of having county clerks issue marriage licenses?
鈥淔or people who don鈥檛 wish to have a religious ceremony, they could just present a certificate of their relationship formalizing it, and have it approved by a public notary,鈥� he says. 鈥淎llow people to go to any willing clergy consistent with their conscience, and respect for their culture, and let them proceed that way.鈥�
Supporters of same-sex marriage argue that Simpson鈥檚 proposal is hypocritical 鈥� that conservatives want marriage to be a states' rights issue when it suits them but when they lose before the Supreme Court, they want government out of marriage altogether. Simpson鈥檚 response? 鈥淚鈥檓 sure that is how some are gonna see it. My own conviction? [Marriage] has been that way for a long time. We should divorce marriage from government if we want to protect it.鈥�
Simpson is clear on what he believes constitutes a marriage: 鈥淚 think the state should recognize and respect marriage as an institution between one man and one woman,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd I don鈥檛 think we should be in the business of actually approving something otherwise.鈥�
For Simpson, having the government recognize same-sex marriages de-legitimizes marriage as an institution.
鈥淚t鈥檇 be like recognizing wrong math or erroneous math as good,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not correct.鈥�
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