‘It’s controversial, actually’: GOP lawmaker is destroyed online for wanting to end gay marriage rights
Literally, what have we ever done to you besides exist, apparently?
In yet another shocking, but unsurprising, display of homophobia by a GOP lawmaker, Rep. Josh Schriver took to X (formerly Twitter) to say “Make gay marriage illegal again,” and then went on to say that it is “not remotely controversial, nor extreme.”
Actually…it kind of is. Taking away people’s rights is extreme. Wanting people you hate to become second-class citizens is controversial. User Republicans Against Trump came with receipts, pointing out “According to a recent Gallup poll, 69% of Americans (83% of Democrats, 74% of independents, and 46% of Republicans) supported same-sex marriage, while only 29% opposed it.”
29% still opposing is a topic for another conversation, and also proves that Schriver will appeal only to a minority of Americans. And, of course, people like him will always exist. That’s just a given. As much as we would like to live in a world where nobody cares what other people do, it unfortunately will never happen. But to cycle back to this kind of hateful rhetoric after all of the progress that has been made is alarming, to say the least. It highlights the newfound bravery in the wake up a Trump reelection and how vulnerable our rights still are, even in 2024.
Why does it even matter?
One user said “How does the fact that my spouse is a female instead of a male affect you or anyone in the world at all? Please be specific!” while another said “Curious as to how my daughter being married to another woman affects your quality of life? In what way does her marriage harm you?”
This is always the crux of the argument. Why, exactly, are people like Schriver so worried about other people’s lives? In what way does that affect how they live theirs?
Schriver also shared a video of then-senator Barack Obama speaking out against same-sex marriage, but conveniently forgets that in 2012 while in office, Obama changed his stance and supported it. People can change, Josh! It’s not a difficult concept.
America in 2024 is dysfunctional because of people like Schriver. They refuse to acknowledge that they are the reason families are divided and holidays are ruined. If it doesn’t fit their agenda, it’s wrong and immoral. Before the results of the election, I was happy to say they were reacting this way because they were spiraling, that they were aware they were a vocal minority that would soon have only a croak of a voice. It does not seem to be that way anymore. And while things like this will continue to be spoken about on the internet, now there is a wider, braver audience to take them in.
These kinds of bigots will always say that ideas they oppose were somehow forced upon the country, even though these types of changes require votes. They don’t just happen overnight, and they absolutely don’t happen with a minority. The legalization of gay marriage was a hard-fought battle that spanned years, with Obergefell v. Hodges’s 5-4 ruling making history. However, the 2022 striking down of Roe v. Wade showcases how delicately-balanced any sort of equality still is.
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