A Michigan State Rep. has faced swift backlash after he posted a call for same-sex marriage to be made illegal again.
Republican Josh Schriver has represented the 66th district in the Michigan House of Representatives since the 2022 election. He was re-elected last month.
Yesterday, Schriver tweeted, “Make gay marriage illegal again. This is not remotely controversial, nor extreme.”
Make gay marriage illegal again.
— Rep. Josh Schriver (@JoshuaSchriver) December 2, 2024
This is not remotely controversial, nor extreme.
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At the time of writing, Schriver’s tweet enjoys more than 15k likes. However, in the comments, many took him to task, firstly for calling for same-sex marriage to be criminalized, and secondly over his audacious claim that this would be neither “controversial, nor extreme.”
It’s a little controversial.
— David Weigel (@daveweigel) December 2, 2024
The VAST majority of Americans disagree with you.
— David Badash (@davidbadash) December 2, 2024
It is extreme and a violation of my constitutional rights.
It's “controversial”, actually. 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.
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) December 2, 2024
A fellow representative is saying my marriage to the man I love should be illegal.
— Jason Morgan (@JasonMorganMI) December 2, 2024
This is definitely both controversial and extreme, along with anti-family.
I grew up believing I'd never be able to get married and I'm not going back. https://t.co/WrSb46xxgt
Make religious fanatics' interference in peoples' lives illegal. Starting with you.
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) December 2, 2024
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!
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) December 2, 2024
Others picked up on the fact this was Schriver’s first tweet in several days.
This is what he came back with after a week with his family and God— destroying other peoples’ families. pic.twitter.com/O2ATxZSIp6
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) December 2, 2024
You took 7 days for quality time with your family, and your conclusion was “I should definitely try to mess with other people’s families that don’t look like mine”.
— Michael O’Brien 🏳️⚧️ (@DrOBrienMD) December 2, 2024
We must not have read the same scripture (historically accurate scripture, don’t try me). pic.twitter.com/LDsr75FVpi
Could same-sex marriage become illegal again?
Same-sex marriage was made legal across the US by a Supreme Court ruling in 2015. Although most believe the issue is now settled, many also thought the same about the issue of abortion. However, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. In a concurring opinion published then, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the justices “should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.”
The cases mentioned relate to contraception, same-sex sexual activity and same-sex marriage.
Schriver would undoubtedly agree with this. Earlier this year, talking about contraception, he said, “If doctors are sworn to do no harm, then lawmakers should look into banning hormonal birth control.”
Predictably, he’s also not a fan of trans people. Discussing trans healthcare in January he said, “If we are going to stop this for anyone under 18, why not apply it for anyone over 18? It’s harmful across the board and that’s something we need to take into consideration in terms of the endgame.”
In February, Schriver reshared a tweet promoting the white nationalist Great Replacement conspiracy theory. Democratic lawmakers condemned it as “blatantly racist.”
As a result, Michigan speaker Joe Tate (D) removed Schriver from his committee assignments and removed his office staff.
The Democratic Party currently has 56 seats in the 110-seat Michigan House, against the Republicans 54 seats.
Main photo: Josh Schriver (Photo: Gage Skidmore, via CC BY-SA 2.0)
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