Utah man on hunger strike for as long as gays can marry
Trestin Meacham has revealed that he has been on a 12 day hunger strike and will continue to fast until gay couples in his home state of Utah are banned from marrying. Mr Meacham said some of his best friends and relatives are gay.
Today, supporters of equal marriage in the US state of Utah have asked the Supreme Court to reject a request to put a stay on equal marriage in the state.
Now Mr Meacham has told local media that he will fast until gay couples are once again banned from marrying.
Writing on his blog, he said: “I began a fast on Saturday the 21st of December; and will continue the fast until the State of Utah exercises its right of nullification. I will go without food or drink, but will continue to drink water, and take weekly vitamin supplements.
“On Friday the 20th of December, a federal judge overturned the State Constitution of Utah and ruled against and its restriction against same sex marriage. In so doing, Article 1 Section 8 and the 10th Amendment of the U.S Constitution were violated. Even worse a law voted on by a strong majority of the people of Utah was rescinded, thus robbing the people of their voice in government. And if this law remains, the natural rights of free speech and religious freedom, vouched safe by the first Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, will be violated.
“This has nothing to do with hatred of a group of people. I have friends and relatives who practice a homosexual lifestyle and I treat them with the same respect and kindness that I would anyone. This is about religious freedom, and an out of control federal government.”
Last year, Dominique Venner, a well known French historian, killed himself in protest at same-sex marriage.
Venner wrote on his blog on 21 May, before committing suicide today by shooting himself dead, in the mouth, in front of Notre Dame Cathedral’s main altar.
In the blog post he spoke of respect for women and Islam, and said: “An infamous law, once passed, can always be repealed.”
In previous posts, he also asked “Why [equal marriage is a] unique phenomenon in Europe?”, and noted a civil war, and its bloody and violent end, linking it to the protests over equal marriage.
