Seems the party would rather attack marginalized groups than pass common-sense reform
The American right justifies some of its most hateful objectives by invoking the innocence and vulnerability of children. It’s too dangerous for kids to learn about the legacy of slavery and racism in this country. They must be protected from the reality of LGBTQ identities. They’re forbidden to read Toni Morrison or a graphic novel depicting the Holocaust. And under no circumstances should they receive clear education on sex or their own developing bodies. By the way, anything else you disapprove of can be blamed for the (fake) child-trafficking epidemic.
That concern for children’s welfare, however, seems to evaporate when conservativescan’t tie it to a culture war issue.
Conservatives quick to call LGBT activists "groomers" are telling on themselves. https://t.co/zzCUeZdKMV pic.twitter.com/mDVEZRj1Tf
— Will Greenwald no Densetsu (@AggroWill) March 29, 2022
WATCH: “IS THERE NO AGE LIMIT?”@RepMikeStewart & @TorreyHarris901 watch in horror as their @tnhousegop colleagues pass a “SILLY” marriage license for straight people that may legalize child marriage. 😳
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) March 27, 2022
(Leatherwood says its supporters are the real victims🧐) 🏳️🌈 #SlateOfHate pic.twitter.com/4kX5qJfn6N
A GOP sponsored bill in Tennessee would eliminate the age requirement for marriage. The bill says marriage must be between “one man and one woman.”
— Joel Rosen (@Rosenlaw) March 29, 2022
Rep. Mike Stewart (D): “It’s a get out of Jail free card for people who are basically committing statutory rape.”
The fearmongering over the sexual predators that Republicans believe are all around us, their horrific appetites supposedly enabled by Democratic policies, has not extended to the question of matrimonial law. In many states, the minimum marriage age is below the age of consent, meaning that a minor can marry an adult who would be committing a crime by having sex with them in any other circumstances. Only six states, all blue, have explicitly banned the marriage of children under 18, in line with the U.S. State Department’s acknowledgement that forced or coerced marriage of a minor — at least in foreign countries — is a form of child abuse.