The State Marriage Defense Act. Really, Ted and Mike?

On February 13, The Washington Post reported the following:

Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah introduced the State Marriage Defense Act on Wednesday… If passed, the bill would cede marriage definition to states for federal purposes, which would effectively reverse the gains same-sex couples made after the Defense of Marriage Act was overturned by the Supreme Court in the summer.

Have you ever noticed how often the states most concerned with the issue of states’ rights are former slave states? And how often their particular states’ rights issues are also human rights issues?

The Post article continues:

In a statement released Thursday, Cruz said, “I support traditional marriage. Under President Obama, the federal government has tried to redefine marriage, and to undermine the constitutional authority of each state to define marriage consistent with the values of its citizens. The Obama Administration should not be trying to force gay marriage on all 50 states.”

This caused me to imagine opening a Civil War era newspaper and reading:

In a statement released Thursday, a leading Confederate official said, “I support the traditional definition of persons. Under President Lincoln, the federal government has tried to redefine ‘persons,’ and to undermine the constitutional authority of each state to define ‘persons’ consistent with the values of its citizens. The Lincoln administration should not be trying to force human equality on all 50 states.

The Post article goes on to explain that the Family Research Council (FRC) and the National Organization for Marriage (both powerful “Christian” organizations virulently opposed to gay rights) support Cruz’s bill:

In a statement released Thursday, FRC president Tony Perkins said, “The Department of Justice is the latest agency to announce a policy of recognizing same sex couples as ‘married’ — even if they live in a state that does not. These announcements … undermine state laws on marriage … . The president is using the power of his federal agencies as a backdoor to expand marriage redefinition to every state in America. This lawlessness must stop.”

This caused me to imagine one of those life-size animatronic robots, of the sort one often finds at historical sites. Dressed in the costume of a 19th-century Southern politician, this one was gesturing jerkily and saying:

The Emancipation Proclamation is the latest attempt by the office of the President to announce a policy of recognizing Negros as ‘free people’ — even if they live in a state that does not. These announcements undermine state laws on slavery. President Lincoln is using the power of his federal agencies as a backdoor to expand the definition of ‘free person’ to every state in America. This lawlessness must stop.

History has a funny way of repeating itself in terribly unfunny ways. It’s difficult to imagine how it is so easy for so many to hunker down on the wrong side of it.

Christy Caine, head admin and primary commenter/responder on the Unfundamentalist Christians Facebook page, is a writer, advocate, and mom of boys. She is interested in justice, compassion, and where the worlds of faith and politics collide. She blogs at Leap of Fate, and is currently writing a spiritual memoir.