Alabama May Beat TN in Race to Outlaw Already Illegal Gay Marriage

Alabama lawmakers are taking care of important business. The first statewide bill worthy of their attention turns out to be a gay marriage ban.

It looks like Alabama is running slightly ahead of Tennessee in the quest to ensure that marriage is a freedom that belongs only to heteros. According to the Birmingham News (Gay marriage ban vote OK'd), "Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved the idea of a constitutional ban on gay marriage."

Both legislative bodies are fixated on the idea of outlawing gay marriage twice; it's already illegal in both states.

Tennessee lawmakers plan to tackle the issue next week; during that same week Alabama lawmakers will be shaping House and Senate bills into one Hate Amendment. Both legislative bodies will be doing their devious deeds during Freedom to Marry Week.

TN House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh (D) said it is "bad public policy," but he's going to vote for it anyway.

State Rep. Rob Briley (D) wisely noted, “It makes us look like a bunch of intolerant rednecks.” Briley will almost certainly be one of the very few TN legislators who vote against the ban.

If Alabama and Tennessee legislators get the anti-marriage amendment on the ballot, there's little doubt that it will pass.

If only a few thousand of the many thousands of progressives residing in Alabama and Tennessean suddenly realized that a few thousand voices is all it takes, the Hate Amendments might never make it out of committee.