A Pair of Oklahoma Asshats

Boy oh boy, the Republicans in Oklahoma really hate The Gays. I mean, how else do you explain the sudden rash of anti-gay, anti-marriage equality legislation that is being proposed by just two of Oklahoma’s wingnuts?

First up, we have Republican state Congressman Todd Russ who says he wants to protect court clerks from having to issue licenses to same-sex couples because, well, gay, and doesn’t want these clerk to have to condone or facilitate same-sex marriages.

Well, Todd, let me make this queer: doing your job by issuing a marriage licenses — or baking a cake or arranging flowers for that matter — is not condoning same-sex marriages, it doing the job for which you were hired and paid; and don’t get me started that there is not a single gay couple anywhere in the world who asked to have their marriage “condoned” by a court clerk or baker or florist. Plus, doing your job doesn’t facilitate same-sex marriage; it just means that you did your job. And if you choose not to do your job, kindly quit and find some job in Haterville that suits your bigoted needs and let someone who will perform the job for which they were hired do it. M’kay?

But, even better than that, under Todd Russ’ plan, you won’t be married when the state says you’re married; you’ll be legally wed when a “religious official” signs your marriage certificate. Then that official would file the license with the clerk.

But what about religious officials who don’t hate, Todd; those pastors and ministers and priests and rabbis who wish to perform same-sex marriages? Are those then legal, or are they still denied because a court clerk hates The Gays? And if that’s the case, then your new law makes no sense; you are allowing religion to dictate law and that ain’t how we work in America.

Russ goes on to say that marriages “are not supposed to be a government thing anyway.” But they are, Todd, they are; and I would suggest that, if you’re married, and I’m unsure about that because you have a bad case of Gay Face, you begin my having your legal marriage annulled, and then find a preacher to marry you and the missus. You want the laws changed, Toddy, you get the ball rolling.

Russ also makes note of the fact that the people of Oklahoma voted, and yes, by an overwhelming margin, back in 2004, for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and he hates that a judge, a judge, y’all, decided that treating gay people as less than in Oklahoma was wrong, and reversed that vote in October 2014. He’s apparently unaware that times, and minds, have changed from 2004 to 2014, for most everyone in the country except people like Todd Russ …

And Sally Kern. She’s another wingnut Republican Oklahoma state Representative, and she wants to go Todd Russ one, well, two better, by filing three measures aimed at the LGBT community. Kern, as you may recall, is infamous for saying that the, ahem, “Homosexual Agenda” was destroying the nation and posed a bigger threat to the nation than terrorism. Uh huh, yes she did. Of course, she had no proof, no reasonable argument, to back up her claims, but as bigots do, they just spout hate and call it truth.

First up is House Bill 1599, AKA the “Preservation and Sovereignty of Marriage Act.” House Bill 1599 says that no taxpayer funds or governmental salaries can be used for the licensing or support of same-sex marriage.

Again, Sally, we don’t need your support, we need you to do your job. And as taxpayers, we expect to be treated as all taxpayers and if you don’t want us to get married, Old Girl, get thee to a divorce court and end your marriage, too.

Then we have House Bill 1598 or the “Freedom to Obtain Conversion Therapy Act” which would allow parents to seek counseling and therapy to change a gay child’s sexual orientation without interference from the state.

Meaning a religious wingnut parent could force their child into therapy for being gay; and if we learned anything from Leelah Alcorn — and so many others — who killed themselves after being forced into reparative therapies, we learned that they don’t work, and all they do is damage young people, making them feel even more unloved, unliked and less than.

Last of all is House Bill 1597, a measure to allow businesses to refuse to provide services to the gay community, among others AKA “It’s OK to be a Bigot in OK.” It which would allow businesses to refuse service “to any lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender person, group or association,” and be immune from civil liability.

It’s really just a law that allows people to use their religion to deny services to an American citizen. But, does Sally think … and I’ll stop there for a moment because she clearly does not … that her little bill would allow, say, a Christian baker to refuse service to a Muslim customer; or vice versa? And, if I’m, say, an agnostic, can I use that to deny services to a religious couple or group?

What’s good for the Bigot Goose, Sally …

How is it possible, even in Oklahoma, that rational people — and I’m sure some Oklahomans are rational — look at these two morons who, with all that’s facing their state, devote any of their time to seeking to deny rights to the LGBT people, to allow LGBTQ youth to be forced into a therapy that reinforces an outdated notion that they are somehow damaged, that want to take marriage away from the government and give it to the churches but then make the state follow the law of the church.

We don’t do that in America; not even in Oklahoma.

Todd Russ

Sally Kern