Wererat on a bicycle

jessiebarber:

Ohio Republicans ‘balance budget’ by banning legal protections for gay couples

With the passage of S.B. 5 by Senate Republicans in Ohio today, Republicans proclaimed:

“This is the first big step in restoring fiscal responsibility in Ohio.”

Uh huh. Tucked in the bill is this little nugget:

Sec. 3101.01 of S.B. 5: … A marriage may only be entered into by one man and one woman. Any marriage between persons of the same sex is against the strong public policy of this state. Any marriage between persons of the same sex shall have no legal force or effect in this state and, if attempted to be entered into in this state, is void ab initio and shall not be recognized by this state. The recognition or extension by the state of the specific statutory benefits of a legal marriage to non-marital relationships between persons of the same sex or different sexes is against the strong public policy of this state. Any public act, record or judicial proceeding of this state, as defined in section 9.82 of the Revised Code, that extends the specific statutory benefits of legal marriage to non-marital relationships between persons of the same sex or different sexes is void.

So along with union-busting, Ohio Republicans are saving money (and no doubt creating jobs) by stripping any kind of legal protections for gay couples. Fiscal responsibility, Republican-style. Otherwise known as bigotry.

Ohio. Ohio. Ohio. THE FUCK? This is my home. This is absurd. I read somewhere that we need 232,000 signatures to put this to a public vote in November. Does anyone know the validity of this statement?

This is pathetic.