Legislator Blocks Openly Gay Colleague From Speaking About DOMA, Cites ‘God’s Law’ By Annie-Rose Strasser on Jun 28, 2013 at 9:00 am http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/06/28/2230471/sims-doma-metcalfe-gay/ Openly gay Pennsylvania state Representative Brian Sims (D) planned to speak on the legislature floor on Wednesday about the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act — but he was blocked from talking by a Republican colleague who said his comments would be “open rebellion against God’s law." Now, Sims is asking for a reprimand of his Republican colleague. Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R), who is known for his inflammatory remarks, also blocked two of Sim’s colleagues who wanted to speak about DOMA, and openly admitted that his religious beliefs compelled him not to let Sims speak:“I did not believe that as a member of that body that I should allow someone to make comments such as he was preparing to make that ultimately were just open rebellion against what the word of God has said, what God has said, and just open rebellion against God’s law," said Metcalfe, R-Butler.
Oh about that DOMA thing:
Court Overturns DOMA, Sidesteps Broad Gay Marriage Ruling by EYDER PERALTA June 26, 2013 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/26/195857796/supreme-court-strikes-down-defense-of-marriage-act?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=BreakingNews&utm;_campaign=In a separate ruling, it declined to take on the broader issue of gay marriage. The court decided that supporters of Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot measure that had outlawed same-sex marriages in the California, did not have standing to bring the case to the court. {...} NPR's Carrie Johnson explains the Prop. 8 ruling: "By a holding of 5-4 with Chief Justice John Roberts in the majority, the Supreme Court rules the petitioners lack standing so the court avoids the underlying issues, remands and wipes away the decision by 9th Circuit Court of appeals, which means for now the lower court ruling invalidating California's Prop. 8 stands." That means same-sex marriages in California may resume, but the ruling does not have a broader implication across the country. The Defense of Marriage Act case is simpler. As SCOTUSblog reports, the court struck down the federal law because it denies same-sex couples the "equal liberty" guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment. The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, was signed into law by President Bill Clinton, barring federal recognition of same-sex marriages for purposes such as Social Security survivors' benefits, insurance benefits, immigration and tax filing. Section 3 of the law defines marriage as "a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife" and a spouse as "a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife." That provision had been struck down by eight lower courts before the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling in United States v. Windsor settled the matter for good. This decision means that legally married same-sex couples are now entitled to the same federal benefits as married opposite sex couples. The majority opinion was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy and joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.
This Metcalfe guy needs to be investigated by the NSA. He is actively engaged in blocking the exercise of free speech. If a Muslim did this for exactly the same reason, he/she would be arrested for obstruction.