Tony Perkins, president of the
Christian conservative Family Research Council (FRC), has said gay
marriage will “fundamentally alter society.”
Participating in a Face the Nation
panel discussing the issue of marriage equality as it relates to two
upcoming cases before the Supreme Court, Perkins argued that such
unions threaten rights.
“If you want to talk about rights,
let's talk about those rights that have been lost in the wake of
same-sex marriage,” Perkins
said. “And religious freedom has been among them. You've got
Catholic Charities no longer doing adoptions. Not providing vital
services right here in this city, as a result of same-sex marriage in
DC. You have got parental rights that have been lost. Parents no
longer being able to determine what their children are taught, whose
moral values they're taught at school. We have small businessmen
losing their rights because they won't participate in same-sex
ceremonies.”
“This ultimately is not about
marriage. It's not about the marriage altar, it's about
fundamentally altering society. And so you can't divide the two.”
“This will be a major public policy
shift that will move us further away from that ideal goal of giving
kids a mom and a dad, because by law we would be denying kids a mom
and a dad.”
Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to
Marry, rebutted some of Perkins' claims.
“What we're talking about here is who
can get a civil marriage license from the government in order to
strengthen their family under the law,” Wolfson said. “It's not
about telling any religion what it must do.”
“Marriage is not defined by who is
denied it. When gay people share in the freedom to marry, it doesn't
change your marriage, it doesn't change Tony Perkins' marriage. My
marriage is my marriage and it means that I'm able to share in the
same aspirations of commitment and love and support and dedication
and connectedness.”
“The gay people are not going to use
up all the marriage licenses when we enter marriage.”