Michigan Republican says gay marriage should be ‘illegal’ again
Josh Schriver is a Republican lawmaker for Michigan. (WLNS6 News)
Michigan Republican lawmaker Josh Schriver has said gay marriage should be illegal, attacking the Supreme Court decision which gave equal rights to millions of Americans.
Josh Schriver, who represents the 66th district in the Michigan house of representatives, made the statement on X/Twitter on Monday (1 December).
“Make gay marriage illegal again,” he wrote. “This is not remotely controversial, nor extreme.”
In a separate post, Schriver shared a 20-year-old video of then senate hopeful Barack Obama saying marriage unions were between men and women.
Many years later, Obama, during his first term in the White House, voiced his support for marriage equality.
“Barack Obama was more conservative on marriage than many Republicans today,” Schriver claimed. “America only ‘accepted’ gay marriage after it was thrusted into her by a perverted Supreme Court ruling.”
Make gay marriage illegal again.
— Rep. Josh Schriver (@JoshuaSchriver) December 2, 2024
This is not remotely controversial, nor extreme.
In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled on the historic Obergefell v. Hodges case, deciding by a 5-4 vote that same-sex marriage was a constitutional right and that states were required to recognise marriages from elsewhere.
At the time, associate justice Anthony Kennedy wrote: “The court now holds that same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry. No longer may this liberty be denied.”
Speaking to The Detroit News, Schriver referred to Bible passages to defend his position. “Jesus defines marriage as between a man and a woman,” he said, noting that the Supreme Court – which now has a 6-3 conservative majority – had “the power to overturn a past ruling”.
In response, lesbian Michigan attorney general Dana Nessel said Schriver was “not interested in helping Michiganders”, adding: “You want only to hurt those you hate. Shame on you.
“Republicans are coming for our marriages and, if Project 2025 is any indication, their agenda goes far beyond economic policy or national security. It’s about erasing the rights of those they don’t value or anyone who is different from them.
“To the lawmakers like representative Schriver pushing these dangerous ideas: please explain how dissolving my marriage, or that of the hundreds of thousands of other same-sex couples living in America, provides a benefit to your constituents or anyone else.”
Gay Democrat Jason Morgan, who represents the 23rd District in the Michigan house of representatives, wrote on X: “A fellow representative is saying my marriage to the man I love should be illegal. 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.
“As I’ve been saying for months, the election of [Donald] Trump emboldens and empowers these extreme Republicans. This is a clear demonstration that some elected Republican leaders do want to harm my family and all LGBTQ families. We must reignite the fight to protect marriage equality.”
This is not the first time Schriver has spoken out against LGBTQ+ rights, having expressed support for outlawing gender-affirming care for adults as well as for those under the age of 18.
In February, he courted controversy by sharing content on social media promoting the white nationalist and far-right Great Replacement conspiracy theory: a notion that white populations are being replaced by non-white ones.
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