Here is another crazy culture war bill that has been submitted to the Kentucky House of Representatives. Representative Joe Fischer (R) of Fort Thomas, KY, filed HB 571, which would amend the Kentucky constitution to include the phrase: "Only a matrimony between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a matrimony in Kentucky."
This is accompanied by HB 572 (AKA the "Matrimonial Freedom Act"), which is 454-pages that clarify that anyone can marry, but only straight people can enter into "matrimony:"
This is accompanied by HB 572 (AKA the "Matrimonial Freedom Act"), which is 454-pages that clarify that anyone can marry, but only straight people can enter into "matrimony:"
As used and recognized in the law of the Commonwealth, “matrimony” refers only to the civil status, condition, or relation of one male human being (“husband”) and one female human being (“wife”) united in law for life, for the discharge to each other and the community of the duties legally incumbent upon those whose association is founded on the distinction of sex.HB 572 then scours through all of Kentucky law and replaces any reference to "marriage" with "matrimony."For example:
The bill amends Kentucky statute 216.515, which addresses the rights of residents of long-term care facilities. Where that law grants married residents the right of private spousal visits as well as the right to a shared room with their spouse if they both live in the same facility, HB 572 replaces the word “is married” to “has entered into matrimony.” Thus, the law would only apply to married different-sex couples, not married same-sex couples.In other words, he's trying to come up with a way to legally disenfranchise Kentucky's gay families by creating a new family structure (AKA "matrimony") and then amending the constitution from providing any familial rights, responsibilities, or benefits to those are haven't "entered into matrimony" (AKA gay families).