A gay couple living in Tennessee wants to share their perspective on an anti-gay bill making it’s a way around state legislature.
Lawmakers in Tennessee are currently shopping around a bill that would allow adoption agencies to deny same-sex couples due to religious beliefs.
Gay couple Robert Rutledge Williams and Scott Williams have taken in nine children together while living in the state of Tennessee. The couple spoke to local news source News Channel 9 to express their concerns about the bill.
“Its wrong, and its devastating to think that someone could discriminate against us for loving each other,” said Scott.
Sadly, this isn’t the first time that the two have faced discrimination while trying to adopt.
“Every system it seemed as if we were good enough to be care providers, but not parents,” said Robert Rutledge Williams.
Supporters say the move is needed to protect against potential lawsuits hostile to the group’s religious beliefs.
— Bliss Zechman (@BlissZechman) April 9, 2019
House Bill 836 is currently being passed around by lawmakers to protect adoption agencies from having to place a child with a family if it would “violate the agency’s written religious or moral conditions or policies.”
The application of this bill is primarily to focus on protecting agencies from lawsuits based on denying adoption to gay couples.
“Its definitely targeted towards gay couples,” said attorney Daniel Barnes. Barnes then notes that these religious freedom bills, which are popping up in other states like Kansas and Oklahoma, will have to be legally challenged in the future.
“It will probably be the ACLU to bring the challenge here. and I would imagine they would win,” he explains.
As for the Williams couple, they hope to extend their family even further. With Bill 836 on the horizon, that will prove hard for the hopeful fathers. But they pray that lawmakers will pick the right decision, aka providing homes for kids who need them.
“The person that is choosing to write this bill, let it go on,” pleaded Robert. “Please contact me and feel free to babysit any day of the week, because I don’t know exactly how many children they have, but I’m sure their numbers aren’t up to nine, and if they can do this any better than I can, go for it.”
h/t: News Channel 9
