Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore orders judges (Sunday night) not to issue same-sex marriage licenses

[JDPriestly]

10. It's ugly, but the fact is that laws concerning who can marry whom have traditionally

been a matter for the states. If of course denying people the right to marry based simply on gender is found to be discriminatory or for some other reason in violation of our US Constitution, the Supreme Court will let us know.

This tradition that states decide on same-sex marriage is, in my opinion, wrong, because I do believe that the rights that accrue when we marry should not be denied to us based on our gender or the gender of the person we marry.

After all the rights that those of us who are married enjoy such as income tax deductions, visitation with our spouse in many situations, etc. should not be denied based on our gender. And denying same-sex couples the right to marry is in my view gender discrimination.

There is utterly no reason for denying same-sex couples the right to marry other than tradition and certain religious beliefs which are not shared by all religions. Unitarians joyfully celebrate the marriages of same-sex couples. There used to be a big sign outside my Unitarian church advising all that we celebrate same-sex marriages. Other religions do not have to celebrate if they don't want to. We have freedom of religion, and same-sex couples should not be barred from civil marriage or marriage in a religious faith that celebrates their relationship if that is what they want.