The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma released the following statement:
“This is just another attempt, based in political fiction, to discriminate against people for no other reason than because of who they love. The idea that this legislation is needed to protect clergy from being forced to perform marriages they don’t agree with is an argument without any teeth.
The military has chaplains of several faiths for the very purpose of accommodating the diversity of beliefs among the troops, and let’s be very clear– the Pentagon and the White House have both unequivocally stated that military chaplains are not required to perform same sex marriages, making this all out ban not only an insult to the gay and lesbian men and women who defend our freedom, but entirely unnecessary.
In the event a couple could not find a willing military chaplain to officiate, non-military clergy could still officiate the ceremony on base.
Finally, it’s absurd to think there are couples out there, same sex or otherwise, who would want someone who adamantly opposes their marriage to officiate one of the most important events of their lives. As a nation, we are so much closer to true marriage equality than ever, but stories like this remind us that there are those out there who will fight to the bitter end in an effort to discriminate against folks for no other reason than because of who they love.
All comments attributable to Ryan Kiesel, Executive Director of the ACLU of Oklahoma