(The Center Square) – State Sen. RaShaun Kemp, D-Atlanta, introduced a resolution that would let Georgia voters decide if same-sex marriage becomes law in the state.
Marriage is defined as a union between a “man and a woman” in the Georgia Constitution.
“No union between persons of the same sex shall be recognized by this state as entitled to the benefits of marriage,” the constitution says. “This state shall not give effect to any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other state jurisdiction respecting a relationship between persons of the same sex that is treated as a marriage under the laws of such other state or jurisdiction.”
Kemp, D-Atlanta, is married to Christopher Kemp, according to his Senate bio. He has spoken from the well of the Senate about his two children.
“The current Georgia Constitution does not recognize same-sex marriage, a reflection of the past and an outdated way of thinking,” Kemp said. “Right now, the state must follow federal law, which allows my marriage to be recognized. But we must act at the state level to protect these rights.”
Just over 76% of Georgians said marriage is “between a man and a woman” when they approved a constitutional amendment on the November 2004 ballot. Georgia began recognizing same-sex unions after the June 26, 2015, U.S. Supreme Court Ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.
Eighteen states have approved same-sex marriages. If approved, the Georgia resolution would ask voters if the state constitution should be amended to recognize marriages as a union of two people “regardless of race, gender, or biological sex?”
“Colleagues on both sides of the aisle should be more than willing to support this resolution,” Kemp said. “No love should be illegal. Families like mine across Georgia deserve dignity, respect and the certainty that their marriages are protected equally under the law.”