A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis is offering critical comments about legislation signed by President Joe Biden protecting all forms of marriage rights for consenting adults.
The law codifies some gay marriage rights granted in the 2015 Obergfell v. Hodges decision, and includes protections of interracial marriage codified in 1967’s Loving v. Virginia.
On a Tuesday evening interview on “The Ingraham Angle” atop a chyron saying the law “restricts freedom of speech and religion,” DeSantis argued that there was “no need” for the Respect for Marriage Act.
“I think they’re raising valid concerns,” DeSantis said of critics of the legislation. “Was interracial marriage even being debated in this country? Nobody’s talking about that.”
Concerns mounted after Justice Clarence Thomas suggested revisiting other decisions, including the legalization of gay marriage, in comments made in the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. Thomas, involved in an interracial marriage himself, did not include interracial marriage with other cases he recommended the court reconsider, though that case was at least partially decided on different grounds than the gay marriage decision and other cases name-checked by Thomas.
For his part, President Biden invoked the plaintiffs in the Loving v. Virginia case in his comments Tuesday from the White House, noting that Mrs. Loving would go on to fight for the right to same-sex marriages decades later.
DeSantis pivoted quickly from interracial marriages to religious freedom, seemingly alluding to same-sex unions.
“They’re using the power, I think, of the federal government in ways that absolutely will put religious institutions in difficult spots if you have people who are so inclined to be very aggressive against that,” DeSantis said, not offering specifics.
“I don’t think — there certainly was no need to do this. I do think those concerns are valid,” he added.
Religious institutions do have some protections in the law, as they can refuse to perform gay marriages. States, meanwhile, are not compelled to issue same-sex marriage licenses, but must recognize other states’ licensure.
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Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics contributed to this report.
16 comments
Josh Green
December 14, 2022 at 10:53 am
We do need it to protect people from monsters like him.
Republicans are corrupt
December 14, 2022 at 11:12 am
Let’s face it – desantis is a bigot!!!
Elliott Offen
December 14, 2022 at 11:44 am
No need for the ‘Stop Woke Act’ and the anti gay bill and a lot of other things he’s done either. Also the abortion stuff is not good. Far right trailer park terrorists are gonna breed like rats and not even Jesus would not adopt. I guess they need prisoners and slaves for the tourism industry.
Jamie Jackson
December 14, 2022 at 12:22 pm
Why are they talking about interracial marriage though? That has never been an issue. They got things messed up.
Republicans are corrupt
December 14, 2022 at 12:30 pm
Jacky, it has been an issue. There are laws on the books. They can actually allow someone to be arrested for being an interracial marriage. This is the Republican way… Bigotry and hate all the way.
Tim
December 20, 2022 at 12:16 pm
They shoved two separate issues into one bill. There is no logical reason to be against interracial marriage. Whereas there are many logical reasons to be against gay marriage. Combining both into one bill is just a political attempt to make Republicans look racist for voting against the bill, when in reality that’s not the part they are objecting to. Throwing some meat to the ignorant masses.
All of them
December 21, 2022 at 1:38 am
“To make republicans look racist”
That’s because they are.
cassandra
December 26, 2022 at 4:28 pm
OK, A week later and I see no one has asked you to explain your ignorant statement about same sex marriage! What possible LOGICAL REASONS can YOU think up to “be against gay marriage”??
cassandra of the swamp
December 14, 2022 at 4:42 pm
Ronald: Can regular Floridians use these religious freedoms to deny service to anti-LGBTQ+ bigots, or will the 1st Amendment continue to apply to Right-Wing hate groups only?
Ralph Mazza
December 14, 2022 at 4:54 pm
DeSantis has already promoted censorship in our schools and libraries, attacked same sex marriage, and ignored the science on Covid. He is great at promoting the concept of “Floridah” and how many terrible laws we are enacting. Instead he needs to stand up for the people of FL by lowering homeowner insurance rates, lower electricity rates, and quite bending over for the wealthy donors. He only wants to run for president and is not concerned about the state.
rustic
December 15, 2022 at 8:50 am
Rona, wake up a be woke! By the way, Fix Entertainment is the network of losers. You are a joke. Be woke Rona! Don’t be a joke!
Republicans are corrupt
December 15, 2022 at 8:59 am
Desantis is more dangerous than trump . He’s a puppet the corrupt
Schoolboarddoc
December 15, 2022 at 9:27 am
Rhonda said, “I don’t think -”
Enough said.
Yrral
December 16, 2022 at 6:35 pm
Clarence Thomas is married too a White Spiteful Demon,who tried to suppress Minority voters
Boaz
December 21, 2022 at 12:27 am
Keep using hyperbolic, politically or racially charged epithets or pejoratives to slander your perceived political opponents, such as fascist, racist, bigot, etc., to the point where those words will have lost all meaning. When that day comes (and it’s coming soon), the political left will have lost its most effective weapon — the power of words and language; and there will be nothing left in their arsenal.
Mr. Haney
December 23, 2022 at 7:11 am
DeSantis is an educated idiot.
Comments are closed.