WMOT 89.5 | LISTENER-POWERED RADIO INDEPENDENT AMERICAN ROOTS
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Plaintiffs in gay marriage case to oppose bill in Tennessee

whitehouse.gov

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Two plaintiffs in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court gay marriage case want Republican Gov. Bill Haslam to veto legislation requiring use of the "natural and ordinary meaning" of undefined words in state law.

Tennessee Equality Project says Jim Obergefell and Thom Kostura will speak Wednesday at Tennessee's Capitol.

LGBT advocates fear could the legislation could spur discrimination against same-sex couples and transgender people.

The decision rests with Haslam. His office says he's deferred to the will of the legislature, which approved the bill.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery has said the legislation could conflict with the U.S. Supreme Court's gay marriage ruling and state law about interpreting gender-specific words as inclusive.

His opinion said a judge would likely use gender-inclusive interpretations of words like "husband," ''wife," ''father" and "mother."