Arkansas State Senator: The Majority Grants the Minority Their Rights “By Choice”

After the Supreme Court’s marriage equality ruling, Arkansas State Senator Jason Rapert was livid. (You may recognize him as the same politician who recently passed a bill to erect a Ten Commandments monument on Capitol property.)

He made a Facebook post whining about the inevitable Christian persecution — as if gay weddings will now end by sacrificing a priest — when one commenter told him that the “Rights of minorities are not overruled by the whims of the majority.”

She’s absolutely right, of course. That’s why they’re called “rights.” They’re guaranteed. They can’t be taken away from you. When people get in the way of that, the courts can fix it, and that’s what the Supreme Court did on Friday, reminding the country that gay and lesbian couples also have the right to get married.

So how did Rapert respond to this commenter’s statement?

We the majority, grant you rights by choice.

A State Senator thinks those in the minority get to have rights based on the whims of the majority. As if rights are something politicians should vote on. It’s a contradiction and just flat-out awful thing for an elected official to say (which is why it’s no surprise that Rapert is a Republican).

Facebook commenters are letting Rapert have it. At least on gay marriage, we should be glad he’s quickly fading into the minority.

(via WWJTD)