The president and CEO of the National Religious Broadcasters said he is concerned about how the new Respect for Marriage Act will impact people and organizations that don’t affirm same-sex unions.
On Dec. 13, President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act (RMA),
H.R.8404, into law. Troy A. Miller, president and CEO of National Religious Broadcasters, quickly issued a statement, saying the RMA “is a reaction to a fabricated problem that does not exist,” adding that “the ability to obtain a same-sex marriage is not in jeopardy in America today, and this bill does nothing to change the legal status of same-sex marriage anywhere.”
The NRB is a nonpartisan, international association of Christian communicators established to protect free speech rights in governmental, corporate, and media sectors. The Law
The RMA was introduced by
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) on July 18.
Lawmakers drafted the legislation in response to a suggestion by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in his concurring opinion after
overturning Roe v. Wade that the high court also consider doing the same with
Obergefell v. Hodges.
Obergefell v. Hodges was a legal case in which the Supreme Court’s
2015 ruling declared that it was a violation of the 14th Amendment for states to deny same-sex couples the right to marry and have their unions legally recognized.
In his concurring opinion (
pdf) of Dobbs v. Jackson with Justice Samuel Alito, Thomas said “the notion that a constitutional provision that guarantees only ‘process’ before a person is deprived of life, liberty, or property could define the substance of those rights strains credulity for even the most casual user of words.”
“Because the Due Process Clause does not secure any substantive rights, it does not secure a right to abortion,” Thomas argued. “For that reason, in future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.”
What the RMA Does
Most notably, the RMA repeals the 1996
Defense of Marriage Act, which established the definition of marriage on a federal level as a “legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.” Specifically, the RMA replaces provisions that define marriage as between a man and a woman and a spouse as a person of the opposite sex, with provisions that recognize any marriage between two individuals as valid under state law.
The RMA also replaces provisions that do not require states to recognize same-sex marriages from other states with provisions that prohibit the denial of “
full faith and credit“ to out-of-state marriages based on sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin.
A concern for Miller is that the RMA opens the door to civil action by the Department of Justice and establishes a private right of action that can be used against anyone who defies the new law, thereby threatening the ability of those who oppose the position of the law for religious reasons to conduct business or express support for traditional values regarding life, marriage, and family.
“The most negative, impactful part of this legislation is the section that allows for what’s called a private right of action,” Miller told The Epoch Times, adding that this section is particularly worrisome “because it’s a little bit vague on what that means.”
“We understand what that means under the law,” Miller said, explaining that it gives private citizens the right to take legal action if they feel that someone or some organization has violated the RMA and that the RMA’s creation was premised on comments made by Thomas, which the NRB says were taken out of context.
“Thomas was talking about a wider issue of the judiciary stepping on states’ rights versus federal,” Miller asserted. “So we think that was used as a red herring catalyst for this law.”
‘Pandering to the Far-Left’ Activists
Miller said he doesn’t understand the need for the RMA.“To our knowledge, there were no court cases currently going through the court system,” he said. “There was no legislation being proposed on a federal level or in any state that would have put the Obergefell decision in jeopardy. So this whole piece of legislation in a lame duck session seems to be a piece of theater, pandering to the far-left, LGBTQ activist wing of the Democratic Party.”
Miller noted how the RMA ceremony at the White House was attended by over 1,000 people, including the “who’s who” from the LGBT activist community.
Miller further said that while the Biden administration touts “the so-called protections” that are in the RMA—which already existed under current laws—what the NRB is concerned about is the ramifications that will be suffered by “organizations that don’t affirm same-sex unions,” particularly with religious Christian organizations that deal with adoptions, and family care and social services that hold to beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman and do not offer programs for same-sex couples.
Because of this right to action, they will be open to frivolous lawsuits, as well as losing government funding and grants. He contends they could even lose their tax-exempt status.
Miller noted how three rejected amendments proposed by Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) would have addressed the issue, but they were all voted down by Democrats.
“It’s not just about them not being willing to perform same-sex marriages,” Miller insisted. “It’s about affirmation.”
‘Hollywood Has Embraced This’
According to Miller, society has seen a broader indoctrination into the LGBT world, and Hollywood has embraced this with programs that have same-sex attracted characters.“On top of that, activists try to shame, degrade, and humiliate anyone who doesn’t affirm a same-sex lifestyle,” he said. “Now we’ve moved from same-sex unions to transgenderism for adults down into pushing it on elementary school and kindergarten-aged children, which is really disturbing.”
“There are laws regarding what you can’t do with a child. You can’t give alcohol to a minor, even if the minor says they feel like they’re old enough to drink or smoke. Yet suddenly we turn science on its head and say this whole idea that children who think as young as 5 years old that they might be another gender other than what they were born as, and all of the sudden we’re influencing and supporting them to [be] transgender, and these surgeries cannot be reversed.”
Miller described how they work with young adults who were coerced into having sex-change surgeries who now deeply regret the decision. Those who were born female now “want to be a mom.”
“They want to have children, but they were manipulated into having a hysterectomy or a mastectomy and they can’t reverse that, and it’s really sad,” he said. “So many lives have been destroyed by people pushing an ideology we should not be pushing on children that age.”
With the way transgenderism and drag queen story hour for children is covered in the mainstream media, Miller suggested the public is made to think they are in the minority if they oppose LGBT lifestyles.
“They don’t cover any of the polls that show this is a very small portion of society, particularly when you narrow it down to
the transgender part of the LGBTQ movement,“ Miller explained. ”If you watch mainstream media, mainstream Hollywood, and mainstream television, you would think this is a normal, everyday function. It’s pushed on society through the mainstream media and entertainment as if it’s normal. But polls show that the vast majority do not agree with this, especially the part about transgenderism for children.”
Despite the efforts by Hollywood and The Walt Disney Co. to push the LGBT narrative into society, Miller addressed how those efforts have been rejected.
While Disney flopped with a number of their Marvel series movies that put the LGBT woke culture, movies like the pro-America film “
Top Gun: Maverick“ and the independent Christian series ”
The Chosen,” which explores an intimate view into the life of Jesus and his disciples, were extremely successful.
“People are really hungry for wholesome ... family entertainment that reinforces traditional values and morals that they hold to,” Miller said, adding that when Hollywood pushes more of the opposite, people really flock to movies that shine a light on “things you hold dear.”
‘Legislative Terrorism’
Going back to the passage of the RMA, Miller said the right of action aspect of the law is all part of the strategy to silence the religious community that holds to the belief that there are only two genders.“This legislation is just another piece of what I call legislative terrorism. If you’re going to speak out for Biblical fidelity that genders are male and female and marriages are between men and women, the core family is a mother and a father raising children, then we’re going to come after you and we’re going to take away your funding, take away your tax-exempt status and tie you up in court cases,” he said. “It’s a real threat to silence anyone who might oppose this.”
Respect for Marriage Act Is a Reaction to a Fabricated Problem: Christian Broadcasting Group
The president and CEO of the National Religious Broadcasters said he is concerned about how the new Respect for Marriage Act will impact people and organizations that don’t affirm same-sex unions.
The Law
The RMA was introduced by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) on July 18.What the RMA Does
Most notably, the RMA repeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which established the definition of marriage on a federal level as a “legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.” Specifically, the RMA replaces provisions that define marriage as between a man and a woman and a spouse as a person of the opposite sex, with provisions that recognize any marriage between two individuals as valid under state law.A concern for Miller is that the RMA opens the door to civil action by the Department of Justice and establishes a private right of action that can be used against anyone who defies the new law, thereby threatening the ability of those who oppose the position of the law for religious reasons to conduct business or express support for traditional values regarding life, marriage, and family.
“The most negative, impactful part of this legislation is the section that allows for what’s called a private right of action,” Miller told The Epoch Times, adding that this section is particularly worrisome “because it’s a little bit vague on what that means.”
“We understand what that means under the law,” Miller said, explaining that it gives private citizens the right to take legal action if they feel that someone or some organization has violated the RMA and that the RMA’s creation was premised on comments made by Thomas, which the NRB says were taken out of context.
‘Pandering to the Far-Left’ Activists
Miller said he doesn’t understand the need for the RMA.“To our knowledge, there were no court cases currently going through the court system,” he said. “There was no legislation being proposed on a federal level or in any state that would have put the Obergefell decision in jeopardy. So this whole piece of legislation in a lame duck session seems to be a piece of theater, pandering to the far-left, LGBTQ activist wing of the Democratic Party.”
Miller noted how the RMA ceremony at the White House was attended by over 1,000 people, including the “who’s who” from the LGBT activist community.
Miller further said that while the Biden administration touts “the so-called protections” that are in the RMA—which already existed under current laws—what the NRB is concerned about is the ramifications that will be suffered by “organizations that don’t affirm same-sex unions,” particularly with religious Christian organizations that deal with adoptions, and family care and social services that hold to beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman and do not offer programs for same-sex couples.
Because of this right to action, they will be open to frivolous lawsuits, as well as losing government funding and grants. He contends they could even lose their tax-exempt status.
Miller noted how three rejected amendments proposed by Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) would have addressed the issue, but they were all voted down by Democrats.
‘Hollywood Has Embraced This’
According to Miller, society has seen a broader indoctrination into the LGBT world, and Hollywood has embraced this with programs that have same-sex attracted characters.“On top of that, activists try to shame, degrade, and humiliate anyone who doesn’t affirm a same-sex lifestyle,” he said. “Now we’ve moved from same-sex unions to transgenderism for adults down into pushing it on elementary school and kindergarten-aged children, which is really disturbing.”
“There are laws regarding what you can’t do with a child. You can’t give alcohol to a minor, even if the minor says they feel like they’re old enough to drink or smoke. Yet suddenly we turn science on its head and say this whole idea that children who think as young as 5 years old that they might be another gender other than what they were born as, and all of the sudden we’re influencing and supporting them to [be] transgender, and these surgeries cannot be reversed.”
Miller described how they work with young adults who were coerced into having sex-change surgeries who now deeply regret the decision. Those who were born female now “want to be a mom.”
“They want to have children, but they were manipulated into having a hysterectomy or a mastectomy and they can’t reverse that, and it’s really sad,” he said. “So many lives have been destroyed by people pushing an ideology we should not be pushing on children that age.”
With the way transgenderism and drag queen story hour for children is covered in the mainstream media, Miller suggested the public is made to think they are in the minority if they oppose LGBT lifestyles.
Despite the efforts by Hollywood and The Walt Disney Co. to push the LGBT narrative into society, Miller addressed how those efforts have been rejected.
‘Legislative Terrorism’
Going back to the passage of the RMA, Miller said the right of action aspect of the law is all part of the strategy to silence the religious community that holds to the belief that there are only two genders.“This legislation is just another piece of what I call legislative terrorism. If you’re going to speak out for Biblical fidelity that genders are male and female and marriages are between men and women, the core family is a mother and a father raising children, then we’re going to come after you and we’re going to take away your funding, take away your tax-exempt status and tie you up in court cases,” he said. “It’s a real threat to silence anyone who might oppose this.”
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