Virginia gov. vetoes bill protecting clergy from performing same-sex ‘marriages’
Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed a religious freedom bill Wednesday during a radio appearance, claiming it was “discriminatory” and “demonizes folks.” Senate Bill 41 aimed to protect pastors from performing same-sex "marriages,” and religious groups and business owners from being forced to provide wedding-related services for them. “It’s unconstitutional. It is discriminatory. It demonizes folks. It brings fear and persecution. We can’t tolerate that,” he said on Washington’s WTOP station. According to McAuliffe, the pastor protection component was unnecessary because of the U.S. Constitution . “Any legitimate protections afforded by Senate Bill 41 are duplicative of the First Amendment ," he said in a statement. “Any additional protections are styled in a manner that prefers one religious viewpoint — that marriage can only validly exist between a man and a woman — over all other viewpoints,” he said. “Such a dynamic is not only unconstitutional, it equa