A federal judge ruled last week that Oklahoma’s ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. But that doesn’t mean that Okie Republicans are taking the news lying down. They have a brilliant idea.
OKLAHOMA CITY – State lawmakers are considering throwing out marriage in Oklahoma.
The idea stems from a bill filed by Rep. Mike Turner (R-Edmond). Turner says it’s an attempt to keep same-sex marriage illegal in Oklahoma while satisfying the U.S. Constitution. Critics are calling it a political stunt while supporters say it’s what Oklahomans want.
“[My constituents are] willing to have that discussion about whether marriage needs to be regulated by the state at all,” Turner said.
Other conservative lawmakers feel the same way, according to Turner.
“Would it be realistic for the State of Oklahoma to say, ‘We’re not going to do marriage period,'” asked News 9’s Michael Konopasek.
“That would definitely be a realistic opportunity, and it’s something that would be part of the discussion,” Turner answered.
This is near-perfect example of taking-your-ball-and-going-home. If the courts rule that gay people can be married, then the only thing to do is to ban marriage altogether. Or, more precisely, the idea is to prevent the state from issuing marriage licenses. Don’t let straight people have legally-recognized marriages if it means that gay people can have them, too.
This is petulance defined.
