Minutes after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage throughout the United States, Republican presidential candidates loudly objected to the ruling and warned that legalized gay marriage would open the way for a war against Christians’ religious rights.
Former Arkansas Governor and 2016 candidate Mike Huckabee called the decision “tyranny.”
This flawed, failed decision is an out-of-control act of unconstitutional judicial tyranny –> http://t.co/WMborH3TxB #SCOTUS
— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) June 26, 2015
Arguing that only God can redefine marriage—though not addressing the thousands of legal rights involved in the institution—Huckabee called the decision “irrational” and “unconstitutional.”
Fellow Republican 2016 candidate Jeb Bush stated his opposition to gay marriage and said the important thing now was to continue to allow private businesses to discriminate against gay customers under the auspices of “religious freedom and the right of conscience.”
Louisiana governor and Republican presidential candidate Bobby Jindal registered similar complaints, additionally faulting the court for “following public opinion polls.” In the last 10 years, the American public has rapidly done an about-face on gay marriage and the majority now supports equality.
“This decision will pave the way for an all-out assault against the religious freedom rights of Christians who disagree with this decision,” Jindal argued. “This ruling must not be used as pretext by Washington to erode our right to religious liberty.”
Meanwhile:
And the gay men's chorus is singing the national anthem on the SCOTUS steps.
— Adam Smith (@asmith83) June 26, 2015
Photo via Gage Skidmore/Flickr (CC BY SA 2.0)