After Michigan state Representative Josh Schriver urged Congress to make "gay marriage illegal again," he was brutally called out online.
Schriver's comment came just weeks after the GOP's performance in Michigan's November election, where they regained control of the statehouse.
He wrote:
"Make gay marriage illegal again. This is not remotely controversial, nor extreme."
You can see his post below.
Same-sex marriage was effectively legalized nationwide in 2015 through the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which determined that denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples was discriminatory. The decision required all states to issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples and to recognize marriages performed in other jurisdictions.
Federal protections for marriage equality were bolstered in 2022 with the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act. The law mandates that all 50 states recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere but does not formally legalize such unions. Consequently, if the Supreme Court were to overturn Obergefell, the legal right to same-sex marriage could be rescinded.
Schriver also overlooks a major fact about support for same-sex marriage in the United States.
A 2024 Gallup poll shows that Republican support for equal rights for gay couples has declined in recent years, dropping from a record high of 55% in 2021 to 46% in 2024. However, on a national scale, Schriver’s stance would still be at odds with the majority. The same poll found that approximately 69% of Americans support same-sex marriage, placing him firmly in the minority on this issue.
Gallup
Schriver's post inspired an immediate clapback from Michigan's Attorney General, Dana Nessel.
As well as backlash from many across X:
Comedian and broadcaster John Fugelsang also had this to say:
"The Gospel doesn't recognize bigots and bullies as Christ followers, my mean blaspheming friend. There is no part of the Bible that you yourself live by that says being gay is a sin. Anyone who's read the Gospels knows your piety is a vulgar fraud."
"People who support Trump don't get to pretend they care about Christ's actual commandments. Find a new name for your sh***y Christ-rejecting religion. Go persecute some migrants while you're at it."
@John Fugelsang/X
Concerns about the future of marriage equality have taken on fresh urgency in the two years since the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that once protected a person's right to choose reproductive healthcare without excessive government restriction.
The decision on Roe, which hinged on a right to privacy that while not explicitly granted in the United States Constitution was nonetheless accepted per the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment (which grants all citizens “equal protection of the laws"), suggested other Supreme Court rulings, such as those regarding contraception, same-sex and interracial marriage, are now in doubt.
Associate Justice Clarence Thomas suggested in a solo concurring opinion that established gay rights (Lawrence v. Texas and Obergefell v. Hodges) and contraception rights (Griswold v. Connecticut) should be reconsidered now that the federal right to reproductive freedom has been revoked, calling them "demonstrably erroneous" and calling on the Court to "correct the error."
