Daily Wire host Michael Knowles&#8217; speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has outraged the Left for the second consecutive year — this time for his remarks on marriage.
Knowles took the CPAC stage on Thursday, where he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michael-knowles-takes-stage-at-cpac-says-democrat-led-invasion-of-southern-border-worsened-americas-identity-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gave a speech</a> focusing on America&#8217;s &#8220;identity crisis&#8221; and illegal immigration, among other topics. The speech came a year after his remarks at CPAC <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-knew-the-libs-were-going-to-run-with-it-knowles-says-call-to-eradicate-transgender-ideology-cornered-left-wing-media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">triggered backlash</a> from leftists when the Daily Wire host said that “transgenderism must be eradicated from public life.” Some media outlets falsely reported that Knowles called for the eradication of trans-identifying people when the host had instead <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-to-eradicate-transgenderism-from-public-life" target="_blank" rel="noopener">focused his speech</a> on ridding society of trans ideology.
During his speech this year, Knowles touched on another social issue and once again sparked the leftists&#8217; rage.
&#8220;They can&#8217;t really turn a couple of men or a couple of women, or three men and a billy goat for that matter, into a marriage,&#8221; Knowles said. &#8220;That&#8217;s just not what marriage is. No disrespect is intended to anyone. Some people don&#8217;t want to get married — okay, there&#8217;s no obligation, but marriage has a meaning.&#8221;
&#8220;Marriage is and always has been the union of a man and a woman, ordered toward the procreation and education of children&#8221; Knowles continued. &#8220;If you don&#8217;t like that, don&#8217;t blame me. I didn&#8217;t set the rules. It wasn&#8217;t the mean old conservatives who did this; we did not invent marriage. Marriage is a natural institution.&#8221;
&#8220;The Left will slander us as hateful for observing this fact,&#8221; Knowles added.
Shortly after Knowles made the comments on marriage, President Joe Biden&#8217;s campaign team posted on X: &#8220;Top Trump advocate at CPAC echos MAGA’s Project 2025 plan to go after marriage equality during a second Trump term: Marriage is a man and a woman.&#8221;
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Top Trump advocate at CPAC echos MAGA’s Project 2025 plan to go after marriage equality during a second Trump term: Marriage is a man and a woman <a href="https://t.co/uEn3uBnGjE">pic.twitter.com/uEn3uBnGjE</a>
&mdash; Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHQ/status/1760804455283298476?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) also <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1760881126371995732" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commented</a> on the Daily Wire host&#8217;s remarks, writing, &#8220;The <a class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 r-1loqt21" dir="ltr" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/GOP">@GOP</a> are telling us who they are. We should listen.&#8221;
Knowles responded to the Biden campaign on X, pointing out that then-Sen. Biden said in 2006 that &#8220;marriage is between a man and a woman.&#8221;
&#8220;I’m just paraphrasing you, Mr. President!&#8221; Knowles wrote.
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I’m just paraphrasing you, Mr. President!
“Marriage is between a man and a woman.” —<a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a> <a href="https://t.co/xw4iqCPa1L">https://t.co/xw4iqCPa1L</a> <a href="https://t.co/u7fzToT5Qg">pic.twitter.com/u7fzToT5Qg</a>
&mdash; Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) <a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles/status/1760822588714946681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Knowles also <a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles/status/1760888599271047286" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shot back</a> at Newsom.
&#8220;The GOP is telling you that we believe what the Democrats and everyone else for all of history believed until ~2015. You should, in fact, listen!&#8221; he said.
Biden&#8217;s view on marriage appeared to change drastically following the Supreme Court&#8217;s Obergefell v. Hodges decision in 2015, which ruled that a union of same-sex couples is protected as a marriage under the Constitution. While running for the White House on the ticket with Barack Obama in 2008, Biden <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/elections/2008/president/debates/transcripts/vice-presidential-debate.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a debate against Sarah Palin that he didn&#8217;t support gay marriage.
&#8220;Barack Obama nor I support redefining from a civil side what constitutes marriage,&#8221; Biden stated.
By December of 2022, Biden had completely flipped on the issue. Before signing the &#8220;Respect for Marriage&#8221; Act, which requires the federal government and all 50 states to recognize a same-sex union as a marriage, the president <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/12/13/remarks-by-president-biden-and-vice-president-harris-at-signing-of-h-r-8404-the-respect-for-marriage-act/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;Deciding whether to marry, who to marry is one of the most profound decisions a person can make,&#8221; adding, &#8220;Marriage — I mean this with all my heart — marriage is a simple proposition: Who do you love, and will you be loyal with that person you love?  It’s not more complicated than that.&#8221;

Michael Knowles/Joe Biden

Biden Campaign, Dems Attack Michael Knowles Over Marriage Comments. Biden Has Said The Same Thing.

CPAC

Joe Biden

LGBTQ

Marriage

Michael Knowles

Politics

Respect for Marriage Act

&#8220;The View&#8221; co-host Whoopi Goldberg suggested that all of the Republicans who <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/breaking-dem-controlled-senate-passes-same-sex-marriage-bill-12-republicans-support/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted in favor</a> of the so-called <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-controlled-house-passes-same-sex-marriage-bill-39-republicans-support/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Respect for Marriage Act</a> may have done so at the stern behest of a friend — or &#8220;perhaps a lover.&#8221;
During Wednesday&#8217;s broadcast of the long-running ABC midday talk show, Goldberg and her co-hosts discussed the legislation — which President Joe Biden signed into law on Tuesday in a <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/biden-signs-same-sex-marriage-bill-drag-queens-invited-to-lavish-wh-ceremony/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lavish ceremony</a> that included drag queens, among others.
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Damned if you do, damned if you don&#39;<a href="https://t.co/CXBiiovtrY">https://t.co/CXBiiovtrY</a> Behar suggests Congressional Republicans opposed to the Respect for Marriage Act are also against interracial marriage. Whoopi suggests Republicans who did vote for it did so at the behest of a secret gay lover. <a href="https://t.co/gcWhSPC499">pic.twitter.com/gcWhSPC499</a>
&mdash; Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1603060942991933441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Co-host <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/that-really-makes-me-nuts-joy-behar-ties-colorado-springs-shooting-to-lauren-boeberts-2021-christmas-photo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joy Behar</a> was first to address the topic, and she complained about the Republicans who had not voted to federally codify same-sex marriage. She asked whether those same people have also been opposed to interracial marriage, which was also federally protected under the new law.
&#8220;Does that mean that these Republicans who are against the gay marriage bill are also against interracial marriage?&#8221; she asked, and her co-hosts all began talking at once.
&#8220;No, it&#8217;s not that,&#8221; Republican co-host <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/thats-not-fairsuch-a-cheap-shot-the-view-blows-up-as-alyssa-farah-griffin-and-kellyanne-conway-clash/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alyssa Farah Griffin</a> cut in, adding in exaggerated tones. &#8220;It&#8217;s the fear of like polyamory or, like, you&#8217;re going to marry a relative &#8230; I mean, I think.&#8221;
&#8220;That must be the slippery slope. Bestiality? Is that what they&#8217;re thinking?&#8221; co-host Sunny Hostin asked, prompting loud laughter from the audience.
Griffin went on to argue that straight couples were more likely to damage traditional marriage than same-sex couples were, and Goldberg promptly agreed: &#8220;That&#8217;s the biggest threat.&#8221;
&#8220;Anytime somebody decides that they want to get married, celebrate them,&#8221; <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/let-me-explain-something-exasperated-whoopi-lectures-joni-ernst-says-iowa-is-too-white-to-lead-primaries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Goldberg</a> insisted, going on to claim that putting rules on marriage was like &#8220;giving the finger&#8221; to same-sex couples who were already married.
&#8220;And I suspect many of these folks voted the way they did because somebody they know said, &#8216;If you don&#8217;t vote this way, I&#8217;ll never speak to you again,'&#8221; Goldberg concluded, apparently suggesting that some Republicans may have only voted in favor of the measure under duress. &#8220;Perhaps a lover? Maybe a friend.&#8221;
Across both legislative chambers, a total of 51 Republicans voted to pass the Respect for Marriage Act — 39 of them in the House of Representatives and 12 in the Senate.

“I Got Somethin’ To Tell You” Screening And Q+A With Director Whoopi Goldberg Exclusively For American Express Cardmembers

‘Perhaps A Lover?’: Whoopi Goldberg Hints Republicans Who Voted For Marriage Bill Were Threatened To Do So

Whoopi Goldberg Hints Republicans Who Voted For Marriage Bill Were Threatened To Do So

Media

Same-Sex Marriage

The View

U.S.

Whoopi Goldberg

To modify a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypELsuR1MRM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">phrase</a>, the Left’s favorite culture war battle is always the next one. Never content with winning, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/progressivism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">they</a> do not stop in their goal of dismantling every traditional value and norm. Their goal is total domination.
This was evident yet again on Tuesday at the White House. If you watched <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Joe Biden</a>&#8216;s celebration of the &#8220;Respect for Marriage&#8221; act on Tuesday, you noticed a large amount of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/drag-queen-invited-to-biden-white-house-once-performed-for-a-2-year-old-boy-the-kids-are-out-to-sing-and-suck-d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rhetoric and fanfare</a> which had nothing to do with the union of man and woman — or any combination of the two sexes.
For example, Biden <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/biden-calls-to-challenge-cynical-laws-targeting-transgender-children/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at the event, &#8220;We need to challenge the hundreds of callous, cynical laws introduced in the states targeting transgender children, terrifying families, and criminalizing doctors who give children the care they need.&#8221;
In other words, the implication is that you can only support LGBTQ rights if you support transgender surgeries for children — even if you voted for the &#8220;Respect for Marriage&#8221; act as dozens of Republicans did.
To any decent person, that standard makes no sense. What does marriage have to do with mutilating kids?
Nothing really — at least not on the surface. But that&#8217;s because liberals are always aiming for more than they admit.
Consider that throughout the debate of the law in question, Americans were told that it only had to do with marriage. Conservatives who opposed the bill — often on religious liberty grounds — were browbeaten by leftists and their media allies and called homophobic bigots.
Then, as soon as the bill is about to be signed, Biden admits that actually, this entire movement is about much more than respecting marriage: It&#8217;s about radical gender theory — though he would never use that term. Instead, he — or more precisely, his handlers — hide it behind terms such as &#8220;healthcare,&#8221; &#8220;gender-affirming care,&#8221; and sometimes &#8220;gender policies.&#8221;
Off-the-cuff comments and video evidence from the president point to the fact that he has no idea what &#8220;gender policies&#8221; even mean.
&#8220;What do you say to Americans who disagree with your gender policies?&#8221; a reporter asked Biden in October.
&#8220;My gender policies?&#8221; a surprised Biden said in response as if the journalist were asking whether he prefers men or women in his love interests.
&#8220;Transgender policies like bathrooms, women’s sports, things like that,&#8221; the muckraker clarified.
&#8220;I stand by my policies&#8221; was all that Biden could muster in response.
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Reporter: &quot;What do you say to Americans who disagree with your gender policies?&quot;
Biden: &quot;My gender policies?&quot;
Reporter: &quot;Transgender policies like bathrooms, women’s sports, things like that.&quot;
Biden: &quot;I stand by my policies.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/T66qbosKiV">pic.twitter.com/T66qbosKiV</a>
&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1583532826410246144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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So why does Biden go along with it all? Well, because he is a loyal footsoldier of the Democrat Party. He advocates whatever the party wants — which is why he&#8217;s their perfect president.
Individual thinking is frowned upon amongst collectivists. The president has shown no desire to buck the party, and he certainly wouldn&#8217;t well into his senior years.
So why the need for the president to mention anything unrelated to the &#8220;Respect for Marriage&#8221; bill?
Because the Left only support causes so that they can open up doors for their next goal.
That characteristic is not limited to ideas about sex and gender.
To further the point, it was <a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2012/06/15/remarks-president-immigration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only ten years ago</a> the Left was demanding amnesty for only children brought into the U.S. illegally. The children weren&#8217;t at fault, they&#8217;re innocent, they&#8217;d argue. Republicans essentially won that battle, or have worked to help Democrats. Now, the Left is<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/no-thanks-schumer-wants-amnesty-for-11-million-or-however-many-illegal-aliens-are-in-the-u-s" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> demanding amnesty</a> for all illegal immigrants.
Similarly, having secured the victory in changing the institution of marriage — a cornerstone of society — they&#8217;re engaged in a full-on battle to redefine man and woman. They&#8217;re targeting minors across America to do so.
What comes after that, who knows, but rest assured the Left already has something in mind because that is how they operate. They are already thinking about how to win the next cultural battle.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Transgender flag stock photo

The Left’s Favorite Culture War Battle Is Always The Next One

Culture

Executive

Leftism

Progressivism

Social Issues

Traditional Marriage

Marti G. Cummings, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drag-queen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drag queen</a> whom President <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> invited to attend the signing of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/respect-for-marriage-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Respect for Marriage Act</a> at the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/white-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">White House</a>, once performed for a 2-year-old boy.
Administration officials invited hundreds of <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/lgbtq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LGBTQ</a> activists to the White House on Tuesday as the commander-in-chief signed the legislation, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-controlled-house-passes-same-sex-marriage-bill-39-republicans-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enshrines same-sex marriage</a> protections into federal law in accordance with the Supreme Court’s opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges. Cummings, who shared a picture of his invitation on social media and said he was “grateful” to receive the overture, has a long history of activism, according to a <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2022/12/12/children-are-such-judgment-free-beings-drag-performer-touts-white-house-invite-to-respect-for-marriage-act-signing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Daily Signal.
One <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0FmzrLHg7o" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> of Cummings singing the children’s song “Baby Shark” to a toddler went viral three years ago. Footage showed Cummings, donned in a wig, high-heeled boots, and a leotard tightly hugging his genitals, clapping along with the tune, at one point spinning onto a long table and briefly drawing attention to his nether regions. A man who appeared to be the boy’s father was smiling, bouncing the child on his knees, and recording the interaction while grinning from ear to ear.
“It was just a very quick kind of organic moment during the performance. He was so sweet, and he gave me a dollar,” Cummings told Inside Edition. “Obviously going to like a late-night drag show is not appropriate for a kid, but a family-friendly drag brunch is totally cool.”
Libs of TikTok recently shared a tweet from Cummings, posted earlier this year, in which Cummings said that “the kids are out to sing and suck d!” The tweet came in response to another user who seemed to be suggesting in a post that the crowd at a New York City gay bar was younger than on a typical night.
The activist subsequently deleted the post, blocked Libs of TikTok, and set his account to private.
Cummings recently mounted an <a href="https://twitter.com/MartiGCummings/status/1411337557653307392" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unsuccessful campaign</a> for the New York City Council, remarking in the magazine Out that he  <a href="https://www.out.com/out-exclusives/2019/9/05/meet-drag-queen-running-new-york-city-council" target="_blank" rel="noopener">desires</a> to “not only be a drag queen who’s funny, silly, and entertaining, but somebody who took that platform and used it for something bigger.” Cummings also conducts activism on behalf of the “queer youth population” in New York City.
“I also think we need young people at the table. We need new, fresh voices,” he told the outlet. “We have a lot of queer elected officials now, but we need really, really progressive queer candidates. We need candidates who are going to take us to that next level. New York politics for a long time has been dynasty politics, and we should bring some new people to the table because politics should be open to everybody.”
The signing of the Respect for Marriage Act was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-invites-drag-queen-to-attend-bill-signing-at-the-white-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">witnessed</a> by thousands of people on the South Lawn of the White House; the ceremony featured music from “nonbinary” singer Sam Smith and musician Cyndi Lauper. Biden invited several drag queens to attend the ceremony.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) remarked in a <a href="https://twitter.com/SenMikeLee/status/1593000633954865153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1593000633954865153%7Ctwgr%5E25353db1d07f622a0ebb595d228af91f6e7c8813%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fsenate-advances-same-sex-marriage-bill-with-some-gop-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> that he voted against a motion to advance the bill because its “religious liberty protections” were “severely anemic and largely illusory.” Biden nevertheless <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/12/08/statement-by-president-joe-biden-on-bipartisan-house-passage-of-the-respect-for-marriage-act/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praised</a> the final passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, saying that “millions of marriages and families” have been put at ease following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and other previous opinions purporting a constitutional right to abortion.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include additional context.

Hetrick-Martin Institute’s 30th Annual Emery Awards: Help Me Imagine

Drag Queen Invited To Biden White House Once Performed For A 2-Year-Old Boy

Biden Administration

Drag Queens

White House

President <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> invited <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drag-queen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drag queen</a> Marti G. Cummings to attend the signing of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/respect-for-marriage-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Respect for Marriage Act</a> at the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/white-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">White House</a>.
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have greenlit the legislation, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-controlled-house-passes-same-sex-marriage-bill-39-republicans-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enshrines same-sex marriage</a> protections into federal law in accordance with the Supreme Court’s opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges. Democratic lawmakers recruited 39 Republicans in the lower chamber and 10 in the upper chamber to support the bill, which is expected to be signed into law on Tuesday.
Cummings shared a screenshot of the White House invitation on social media and expressed thankfulness toward the Biden administration.
“To be a non-binary drag artist invited to the White House is something I never imagined would happen,” the drag queen <a href="https://twitter.com/MartiGCummings/status/1602335170706669575" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “Grateful doesn’t begin to express the emotions I feel.”
Cummings recently mounted an <a href="https://twitter.com/MartiGCummings/status/1411337557653307392" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unsuccessful campaign</a> for the New York City Council, remarking in the magazine Out that he <a href="https://www.out.com/out-exclusives/2019/9/05/meet-drag-queen-running-new-york-city-council" target="_blank" rel="noopener">desires</a> to “not only be a drag queen who&#8217;s funny, silly, and entertaining, but somebody who took that platform and used it for something bigger.”
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) remarked in a <a href="https://twitter.com/SenMikeLee/status/1593000633954865153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1593000633954865153%7Ctwgr%5E25353db1d07f622a0ebb595d228af91f6e7c8813%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fsenate-advances-same-sex-marriage-bill-with-some-gop-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> that he voted against a motion to advance the bill because its “religious liberty protections” were “severely anemic and largely illusory.” The lawmaker had expressed concern that religious individuals and organizations could be exposed to litigation and the loss of nonprofit status under the new law.
Biden nevertheless <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/12/08/statement-by-president-joe-biden-on-bipartisan-house-passage-of-the-respect-for-marriage-act/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praised</a> the final passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, saying that “millions of marriages and families” have been put at ease following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and other previous opinions purporting a constitutional right to abortion.
“On this day, Jill and I are thinking of the courageous couples and fiercely committed advocates who have fought for decades to secure nationwide marriage equality at the Supreme Court and in Congress,” he said. “While we are one step closer on our long journey to build a more perfect union, we must never stop fighting for full equality for LGBTQI+ Americans and all Americans.”
Cummings also conducts activism on behalf of the “queer youth population” in New York City, according to Out. “I also think we need young people at the table. We need new, fresh voices,” Cummings continued. “We have a lot of queer elected officials now, but we need really, really progressive queer candidates. We need candidates who are going to take us to that next level. New York politics for a long time has been dynasty politics, and we should bring some new people to the table because politics should be open to everybody.”
Biden recently made waves by inviting Dylan Mulvaney, a biological man who identifies as a transgender woman, to the White House to discuss transgender issues.

“Drag Kids” – NewFest Film Festival

Biden Invites Drag Queen To Attend Bill Signing At The White House

Biden Invites Drag Queen Marti G. Cummings To Attend White House Ceremony

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), fiercely fighting an uphill battle to protect religious freedom, wrote a letter urging his colleagues to attach his amendment to the Respect for Marriage Act, which seeks to codify same-sex marriage into law.
Lee’s amendment passionately defends the right of religious people and religious institutions from predatory actions of the Federal government. In Lee’s letter to his colleagues, he notes a frightening exchange between Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and Obama administration Solicitor General Donald Verrilli in 2015 during the oral arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the Supreme Court required states to license and recognize same-sex marriage.
When Alito asked whether religious universities opposed to same-sex marriage would lose their tax-exempt status, Verrilli replied, “It&#8217;s certainly going to be an issue. I don&#8217;t deny that. I don&#8217;t deny that, Justice Alito — it is going to be an issue.”
“And it is an issue,” Lee writes in his letter. “Obergefell did not make a private right of action for aggrieved individuals to sue those who oppose same-sex marriage. It did not create a mandate for the Department of Justice to sue where it perceived an institution opposed same-sex marriage, but the Respect for Marriage Act will. What we can expect should this bill become law is more litigation against those institutions and individuals trying to live according to their sincerely held religious beliefs and moral convictions.”
“As we move forward, let us be sure to keep churches, religious charities, and religious universities out of litigation in the first instance. No American should face legal harassment or retaliation from the federal government for holding sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions,” Lee cautions his colleagues.
“My amendment would ensure that federal bureaucrats do not take discriminatory actions against individuals, organizations, nonprofits, and other entities based or their sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions about marriage by prohibiting the denial or revocation of tax exempt status, licenses, contracts, benefits, etc. It would affirm that individuals still have the right to act according to their faith and deepest convictions even outside of their church or home,” Lee explains.
“The free exercise of religion is absolutely essential to the health of our Republic. We must have the courage to protect it,” he concluded.
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We still have time to protect religious liberty. We’re asking our colleagues to support my amendment. <a href="https://t.co/y7JXkxNXTZ">pic.twitter.com/y7JXkxNXTZ</a>
&mdash; Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenMikeLee/status/1594043506842017792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Lee’s <a href="https://www.lee.senate.gov/services/files/CB39DE23-EF22-4CDC-B645-BF756A5F94D1">amendment</a> states: &#8220;The federal government may not take any discriminatory action against a person, wholly or partially on the basis that such person speaks, or acts, in accordance with a sincerely held religious belief, or moral conviction, that marriage is or should be recognized as a union of — one man and one woman, or two individuals as recognized under Federal law.&#8221;
The amendment states that “discriminatory action” includes an action taken by the Federal government to “alter in any way the Federal tax treatment of, or cause any tax, penalty, or payment to be assessed against, or deny, delay, or revoke an exemption of taxation” to any of the people of whom the preceding paragraph refers to.
The amendment also forbids “discriminatory action” including disallowing a deduction for Federal tax purposes of any charitable contribution by the aforesaid people, as well as withholding Federal grants, funds, etc., from such people.
“A person may assert an actual or threatened violation of this title as a claim or a defense in a judicial or administrative proceeding and obtain compensatory damages, injunctive relief, declaratory relief or any other appropriate relief against the Federal government,” the amendment declares.

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With Time Running Out, Mike Lee Urges Colleagues To Protect Religious Freedom

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Mike Lee