Well, Senate Bill 245 was passed 85-11. Sad news, but all is not lost. It still has to be put on the ballot in November. If you would like to tell your representatives what you think of all this, you can go to http://capwiz.com/federationlgbt/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=5563236 and send an email.

It was a gloomy rainy day for the rally in Frankfort Monday, so it was held inside. There were people both for and against SB 245. The two groups kept apart initially, but after a bit started intermingling. This made for a few interesting discussions and allowed me to get some lovely photos of contrasting signs side by side. You can click on any of the thumbnails on the right to view the full size complete photo in a new window.

Several times, one group or another would burst into song, either a hymn or a patriotic song, each side trying to show the other how it felt. No matter who started it, the other group would always join in. It was touching to watch opposing sides singing hymns together, but not altogether unexpected. After all, there are devout Christians and people who love their country and love Kentucky on both sides of the issue.

Sadly, those who wanted the original SB 245 restored seemed mostly to be arguing from a religious perspective. I have yet to hear a reasoned argument against same sex marriage that does not, at some point, fall back on religious belief. I realize that some folks oppose it merely out of prejudice and hatred, but even they revert to religious arguments when pressed.

One of the things that makes America great is the constitutional guarantee to freedom of religion. The First Amendment (at least in theory if not always in practice) prohibits the imposition of anyone's religious bias as law. Even mine.

Contrary to popular myth, America is not a Christian nation. Certainly not in modern times, but it was never a Christian nation and was not founded as a Christian nation. Sure, the Puritans came here to escape religious persecution and establish "God's New Israel." They promptly began enforcing their own brand of religious persecution on all non-believers, including other Christian sects. The Church of England was another oppressive influence on the founding fathers to make them incorporate religious liberty into our Constitution. To pass legislation based on religious belief is decidedly un-American.

If only we could get our legislators to understand that...