Gay Rights Activists Outraged Over Billboard’s Message About Homosexuality and Genetics

Dec. 11, 2014 9:59am Billy Hallowell

NOTE:  the gay community has declared that anyone who claims homosexuality is not genetic is hateful.  This story illustrates the automatic reaction when a group makes a bold move in placing their belief on a billboard.  Certainly a new definition of hate.  It's easy for the emotional reaction to sway viewers, but take a minute and realize that it is just that - an emotional reaction.  Read Peter Sprigs on teen suicide rates for an interesting view.

A controversial billboard proclaiming that “nobody is born gay” has sparked a great deal of controversy in Richmond, Virginia, where it was recently put on display.

Paid for by Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays — an organization aimed at helping so-called “ex-gays” gain acceptance — the ad features a picture of male twins and reads, “Identical twins. One gay. One not. We believe twins research studies show nobody is born gay.”

While the billboard is offending local gay and lesbian advocates, Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays, believes that critics aren’t looking at the facts, specifically when it comes to analyzing how same-sex attraction pertains to twins.

“Identical twins have the same genes or DNA. They are nurtured in equal prenatal conditions.  If homosexuality is caused by genetics or prenatal conditions and one twin is gay, the co-twin should also be gay,” she said, according to WVUE-TV. “Because identical twins are always genetically identical, homosexuality cannot be genetically dictated. No one is born gay.”  **
See article online at: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/12/11/nobody-is-born-gay-activists-outraged-by-billboards-message-about-homosexuality-and-genetics/

**Read Peter Sprigs on teen suicide rates for an interesting view.

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Griggs went on in her statement to say that “change is possible” and that people deserve to know the truth about same-sex attraction, claiming that her organization seeks to help people “seeking positive life change.”

But the leader of Rosby, a group that offers resources to gay youths, said that the billboard is simply unacceptable in the modern era.

“I am shocked and really disappointed that at the end of 2014, we have a billboard in the middle of our city that says that kind of hate,” Beth Panilaitis, the organization’s executive director, told WVUE-TV.

Richmond Gay Community Foundation executive director Bill Harrison agreed.

“We do not know why people are heterosexual. Maybe when we figure that out, we can determine why some people are not,” he said in an interview with WWBT-TV. “What we do know is that this type of therapy has caused many people to commit suicide."  

Christian Printer Was Punished After Refusing to Print Gay Pride T-Shirts — and Now He’s Fighting Back

A Christian printer who was found guilty of discrimination by a civil rights commission and told that his employees would need to attend diversity training after he refused to print shirts for a gay pride parade is fighting back, appealing the ruling in Kentucky state court.

Blaine Adamson, owner of Hands on Originals, a Lexington-based T-shirt company, filed the appeal through his attorneys with the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal firm, arguing that the messages he was asked to print violated his deeply held religious beliefs.

The challenge comes after Greg Munson of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission announced in October that Hands on Originals discriminated against the Gay and Lesbian Services Organization of Lexington when it refused to print the shirts back in 2012.

The civil rights commission subsequently officially adopted this sentiment in November, finding that Adamson — who regularly does business with and employs gays and lesbians — violated the local non-discrimination ordinance, according to a Alliance Defending Freedom press release.

“No one should be forced by the government to endorse or promote ideas with which they disagree. Laws that do that are fundamentally unjust,” senior legal counsel Jim Campbell said in a statement. “We are appealing the commission’s decision because the First Amendment protects the freedom of every American to decline to speak on any issue without fear of punishment.”

Read entire article here:  http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/12/10/he-was-punished-after-defending-his-faith-and-refusing-to-print-gay-pride-t-shirts-and-now-hes-fighting-back/

Gay Christians choosing celibacy emerge from the shadows

By Michelle Boorstein December 13 at 9:20 PM  Washington Post

When Eve Tushnet converted to Catholicism in 1998, she thought she might be the world’s first celibate Catholic lesbian.

Having grown up in a liberal, upper Northwest Washington home before moving on to Yale University, the then-19-year-old knew no other gay Catholics who embraced the church’s ban on sex outside heterosexual marriage. Her decision to abstain made her an outlier.

“Everyone I knew totally rejected it,” she said of the church’s teaching on gay sexuality.

Today, Tushnet is a leader in a small but growing movement of celibate gay Christians who find it easier than before to be out of the closet in their traditional churches because they’re celibate. She is busy speaking at conservative Christian conferences with other celibate Catholics and Protestants and is the most well-known of 20 bloggers who post on spiritualfriendship.org, a site for celibate gay and lesbian Christians that draws thousands of visitors each month.

Celibacy “allows you to give yourself more freely to God,” said Tushnet (rhymes with RUSH-net), a 36-year-old writer and resident of Petworth in the District. The focus of celibacy, she says, should be not on the absence of sex but on deepening friendships and other relationships, a lesson valuable even for people in heterosexual marriages.

Celibate Christian LGBT people are stepping out into the open for the same reason LGBT people in general are: Society has become so much more accepting, including in religious circles. But among conservative Christians, efforts toward more acceptance have collided with the basic teaching that sex belongs only among married men and women. celibacy movement helps reconcile those concerns.

However, they are also met with criticism from many quarters, including from other gays and lesbians who say celibacy is both untenable and a denial of equality.

Read the entire article at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/gay-christians-choosing-celibacy-emerge-from-the-shadows/2014/12/13/51c73aea-6ab2-11e4-9fb4-a622dae742a2_story.html

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Duggars Win -- Transgender Bathroom Bill Overturned

A city ordinance in Fayetteville, Ark, dubbed the transgender bathroom bill because it allows biological males who claim they are females to use restroom facilities for women, was overturned on Tuesday, Dec. 9, largely because of the intense lobbying efforts of Michelle Duggar, the matriarch of the reality-TV show 19 Kids & Counting, carried by The Learning Channel.

In Tuesday’s special election the rule, also called the Civil Rights Ordinance, was defeated: 7,523 votes to 7,040 votes, a 52% to 48% victory. In criticizing the ordinance, Mrs. Duggar had said that it affected “the safety of Northwest Arkansas women and children” because it would “allow men – yes, I said men – to use women’s and girls’ restrooms, locker rooms, showers, sleeping areas and other areas that are designated for females only. I don’t believe the citizens of Fayetteville would want males with past child predator convictions that claim they are female to have a legal right to enter private areas that are reserved for women and girls.”

 Read the entire story at:    http://cnsnews.com/blog/michael-w-chapman/duggarathroom-bill-overturned?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=marketing&utm_term=facebook&utm_content=facebook&utm_campaign=b-duggars-bill

Michigan House Passed Bill Allowing EMTs To Refuse Treatment To Gay People

NOTE:  This story is as amazing as the Catholic professors being told that expressing opinions against same-sex marriage is discriminatory & harassment.  It is just as disgusting and dangerous to see the extreme over-reaction of the Michigan Republicans and is the reason why we are getting such extreme backlash from the LGBT activists - definitely  not Christian.

December 8, 2014 ● by Dan Avery

Over the weekend, Republicans in the Michigan Statehouse passed a “license to discriminate” bill that would give just about anyone the right to refuse service to LGBT people if it conflicted with their religious beliefs.

The broadly written Religious Freedom Restoration Act would allow, for example, an EMT to refuse emergency treatment to a gay person or a pharmacist to refuse to refill HIV medication, because God decreed gays and lesbians should be put to death.

Read the entire story at: http://www.newnownext.com/michigan-house-passed-bill-allowing-emts-to-refuse-treatment-to-gay-people/12/2014/.

Catholic profs told to report opposition to 'gay marriage' as harassment

By Kevin J. Jones

Milwaukee, Wis., Dec 9, 2014 / 04:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- An anti-harassment training presentation at a Catholic college encourages employees to report critics of “gay marriage” – and could reflect recent federal decisions that the belief in marriage as a union of a man and a woman is discriminatory.

Part of the employee anti-harassment training at the Wisconsin-based Marquette University includes a presentation with a comic strip-style story about a fictional employee named “Harassed Hans,” a man in a wheelchair. The training encourages Hans to report to the university human resources his co-workers Becky and Maria who “have been talking about their opposition to same-sex marriage” all week.

Read the entire story at: 
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/catholic-profs-told-to-report-opposition-to-gay-marriage-as-harassment-29598/

Perspectives: Anti-discrimination laws, seeking power not equality

Written by Bryan Hyde on November 17, 2014     46 Comments

OPINION – The test of how well we actually understand personal liberty, natural rights, and the legitimate role of government is currently underway at many levels.

A highly visible example took place recently when St. George City Council members were asked to consider adopting an ordinance to prohibit discrimination against homosexuals in housing and employment. We’ll see this test continued after the first of the year when state Sen. Steve Urquhart brings his latest statewide anti-discrimination bill to the state legislature for another try at passage.

What many citizens don’t yet seem to understand is that we are being asked to choose between freedom and equality.

They are asking that our laws place the natural rights of property or business owners below an individual’s right to be validated

The proponents of anti-discrimination laws and ordinances say that they are simply seeking equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community by making legally enforceable prohibitions against perceived discrimination. In seeking equality by edict, they are asking that our laws place the natural rights of property or business owners below an individual’s right to be validated for his or her sexual orientation or gender identity.

This is done by making discrimination a legally punishable offense.

Click here to read the entire article and make comments

Arkansas Pastors Stand up - and Speak out!

Fifty pastors gathered in Fayetteville, Arkansas this morning for a briefing on how they can effectively address important social issues facing their churches and communities. A main topic of discussion was the City’s new special rights law -- the 119 ordinance.

While supporters of this ordinance say it’s only meant to address “discrimination” in areas like housing and employment issues, the actual wording of the law reveals that it will go much further. This controversial ordinance elevates sexual orientation and gender identity to the level of being a “civil right” and even goes so far that it gives these new classes more rights or special privileges than those for race, gender, or religion.

Among other things, it would allow males who claim to be transgender to enter gender-sensitive areas such as women’s bathrooms, locker rooms and overnight shelters. Churches could face criminal prosecution for refusing to hire against their religious beliefs for positions deemed “secular” like a church secretary, receptionist, and bookkeeper, and it adds a cumbersome and dangerous new regulation for local businesses. Recognizing this, groups like the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce have come out in support of repealing this law citing 33 different problems they found with it.

At the briefing, Dr. Kenyn Cureton, FRC’s Vice President of Church Ministries, discussed the importance of standing together and being a clear voice as people of faith work together to address this matter. After the briefing, the pastors and speakers hosted a press conference to urge the citizens of Fayetteville to take a stand for their community and repeal 119 during the special election coming up December 9th. For more information on the ordinance, visit repeal119.com.

Libs Needle FDA on Blood Ban

Are you willing to contract HIV to prove how “tolerant” you are? If the FDA repeals its blood bank policy, you may not have a choice. At a meeting of the Food and Drug Administration this morning, liberal activists went for the jugular in their latest push to overturn its ban on blood donations from those who engage in risky sexual behavior. The debate, which seems to resurface every year at the FDA and HHS, refuses to die -- even though people could with radical changes to the government’s 30-year-ban.

This time around, homosexual groups are more confident than ever that the administration will roll back the prohibition, despite the increased risks it poses to the U.S. population. As FRC’s Peter Sprigg testified at today’s meeting, “Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men represent approximately 2% of the United States population, yet . . . in 2010, gay and bisexual men accounted for 63% of estimated new HIV infections in the United States and 78% of infections among all newly infected men.”

The FDA created the rule -- not out of prejudice, but precaution. Now, a growing chorus of liberals is insisting that federal agencies should ignore the risks so that homosexuals feel “more accepted” in society. In other words, the Left is willing to taint the U.S. blood banks to make a political point. If the FDA wants to protect people’s health, it has to be selective. The government can’t afford to contaminate the blood supply just to validate people’s risky sexual behavior.

Not to mention, Peter points out, that the very small size of the LGBT population (2.3% according to this year’s CDC survey) means that any potential benefits to the blood bank would be “marginal.” In fact, the only thing they would add with 100% certainty is liability. Yet every year, the government wastes taxpayers’ time and money debating what is nothing but a naked push to normalize and celebrate homosexual behavior. The blood donation policy doesn’t exist to serve a political agenda -- and it shouldn’t be changed to advance one. Even if the new screening can detect virtually all tainted blood, no test is completely safe. And the government shouldn’t be willing to risk America’s blood supply to prove it. To listen to Peter Sprigg’s testimony from earlier today, click here.

http://www.frc.org/washingtonupdate/today

Fireman's Reputation Torched in Book Dispute

Atlanta’s Kelvin Cochran may be a fireman, but he’s not fireproof, as the latest controversy shows. Despite a long and distinguished career (including a stint as the U.S. Fire Administrator), Chief Cochran is at the center of an explosive debate over free speech on the job after the city suspended him for allegedly handing out copies of a book he wrote and self-published on biblical morality.

Atlanta officials claim Cochran somehow violated workplace policy by openly discussing his Christian views on sexuality. In the book, Who Told You That You Are Naked?, Cochran explains the nature of sin, which affects us all. Included in the book is an unapologetic description of homosexuality as “perversion” -- a reference AtlantaMayor Kasim Reed took personal offense to. “I profoundly disagree with and am deeply disturbed by the sentiments expressed in the paperback regarding the LGBT community. I will not tolerate discrimination of any kind within my administration.”

In addition to being suspended, Cochran has to forfeit a month’s worth of pay and undergo “sensitivity training.” Although the section of the book dealing with homosexuality was only one part of the discussion, it was the sole focus of the city’s inquiry. While a number of public interest law firms are reviewing Cochran’s legal options, the immediate effect is clear: a further stripping of Christian faith from the public square.

Obviously, Mayor Reed’s message is that city employees have to check their beliefs -- and specifically, their religious beliefs -- at the door of public service. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where this persecution will lead: to a country where no evidence of biblical morality will be tolerated. Christians who want to serve in a public capacity will have to go underground spiritually -- or steer clear of those careers altogether. The fallout would be disastrous.

With the government assuming more and more power, do we really want police officers, prosecutors, and even firemen who have no moral foundation to be the guardians of justice? Trust me. We haven’t seen the level of scandal, corruption, and political abuse that would follow such a purge.

And how is Mayor Reed building his case? On the city’s special rights ordinance -- the same type of measure that led to the subpoena of Houston pastors, the prosecution of Colorado bakers, and the joblessness of California photographers. If the people don’t stand up and demand their First Amendment rights, this fire chief won’t be the only one having his career extinguished because he believes in biblical morality.

http://www.frc.org/washingtonupdate/today

Michelle Duggar Blasted For "LGBTQ Fear Mongering": Petition to Cancel 19 Kids and Counting Gains 75,000 Signatures

Still at it! The Duggar family upset members of the LGBTQ community last week when they allegedly deleted pictures of same-sex couples from their Facebook kissing post, and now people are fighting to get their show, 19 Kids and Counting, pulled off the air.

A Change.org petition was started to cancel the hit TLC show after matriarch Michelle Duggar allegedly recorded a robocall this past summer for the people of Fayetteville, Ark., asking that they vote to repeal a law that would forbid business owners and landlords from evicting and firing people based on their gender identity. Started in August, the petition gained momentum this week, reaching close to 75,000 supporters. 

PHOTOS: Duggar Family Photo Album: 19 Kids and Counting

According to the petition, which was started by a man named Jim Wissick, Michelle recorded a message that suggests that transgender people and members of the LGBTQ community are also predators and rapists. 

"The Fayetteville City Council is voting on an ordinance this Tuesday night that would allow men – yes I said men – to use women's and girls' restrooms, locker rooms, showers, sleeping areas, and other areas that are designated for females only," Duggar reportedly says in the recording. "I don't believe the citizens of Fayetteville would want males with past child predator convictions that claim they are female to have a legal right to enter private areas that are reserved for women and girls."

PHOTOS: Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald's Sweetest Instagram Shots

In a post about the call on the Change.org petition, Wissick proceeds to bash the noted Independent Baptist, saying her words "reek of ignorance and fear mongering."

"Just because someone is transgendered doesn't mean they are a child predator or a rapist," Wissick writes. "Transgender people — who are far more likely to be the victims of harassment and violence if forced to use a bathroom that is inconsistent with their gender identity or expression — deserve to have the ability to use the bathroom in peace and safety." 

Read more: http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/michelle-duggars-lgbtq-fear-mongering-sparks-cancellation-petition-20142011#ixzz3JlVanO4g
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Duggars Backlash: Fans Create Counter-Petition to Save 19 Kids and Counting

Not going down without a fight! A  Michelle Duggar fan page shared a counter-petition to save her family's show 19 Kids and Counting on Thursday, Nov. 19. Earlier this week, a Change.org petition was started to cancel the TLC series after Michelle allegedly asked Fayetteville, Ark. residents to vote to repeal a law that condemns property and business owners to oust or fire people based on their gender identity.

PHOTOS: Duggar family album

"The Duggar Family is under attack from anti-marriage advocates for standing for traditional marriage," the Ipetitions.com note reads, posted to Michelle Duggar fan Facebook page. "We commend The Duggar Family for their brave stand in defending marriage as ordained by God between one man and one woman. No individual's sexual behavior and chosen lifestyle has the right to redefine marriage."

PHOTOS: Jessa Duggar and Ben's album

It adds: "Sign our petition today to let TLC know that you support the Duggars' stand for traditional marriage."

As of Friday, Nov. 21, the petition has received over 6,000 signatures. The Change.org petition, that hopes to get rid of the reality family, has gained over 130,000 supporters since its release on Aug. 20. See the Duggar kissing photo that led to the controversial contest.

PHOTOS: Jill Duggar's wedding album

Michelle and her husband Jim Bob — thanks again to their stance on same-sex couples and LGBTQ rights — have also come under fire recently in what was supposed to be a fun experiment. After challenging married fans to post a kissing picture on her Facebook, Michelle allegedly deleted those that were sent in by same-sex couples.

Read more: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/michelle-duggar-shares-counter-petition-to-save-19-kids-and-counting-20142111#ixzz3Jli969R5
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Arkansas Supreme Court takes up gay marriage case

By Andrew Demillo    Associated Press   Published: Thursday, Nov. 20 2014 11:43 a.m. MST

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas Supreme Court justices questioned Thursday whether banning gay marriage is constitutional just because voters approved it a decade ago, even if the restriction conflicts with rights outlined in the state's constitution.

Opponents and supporters of the 2004 constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and woman embarked on a day of back-to-back hearings in federal and state courts. Voters approved the ban by a 3-1 margin.

"This court should defer to the Democratic process and defer to the voters of Arkansas, and hold that there is no fundamental right to same-sex marriage," Assistant Attorney General Colin Jorgensen told the high court.

But at least two members of the court expressed skepticism about that argument, with one questioning whether it would allow the state to enforce prohibitions against other minority groups.

Click Here to read entire article

My view: We must protect religious schools from legal threats

By Michael Worley

For the Deseret News

Published: Friday, Nov. 7 2014 2:43 p.m. MST

In recent parallel actions, accreditation bodies in Massachusetts and British Columbia moved toward threatening Christian universities because they believe sexual relations are only proper between a married man and woman.

In Massachusetts, the accreditation body known as the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education has required Gordon College to submit a report on whether “the College’s policies and processes are non-discriminatory.” Since the college has a policy of upholding marriage and sexual relations as described by Christian theology, the message is clear: weaken the policy or have your accreditation stripped. Such a move would diminish the ability of graduates of Gordon College to find placement following graduation. Gordon College will presumably have limited legal recourse should it lose its accreditation.

Likewise in British Columbia, an accreditation body is refusing to accredit Trinity Western as a new law school. The objection to the law school? Stating sexual relations are only proper between a married man and woman as a school-wide value. As one commentator summarized, “approval from the legal profession in B.C. [requires ending] discipline or expulsion of students and staff for private sexual activity is unacceptable.” In other words: to teach law, you have to leave your religious views out of it. With the reputation lawyers have, one would think they need more religion, not less. Without the Law Society’s endorsement, the law school’s students will likely be unable to practice law.

Click here to read entire article and post comments, please!

What will the latest same-sex marriage ruling mean for Utah?

By Lisa Riley Roche, Deseret News

Published: Friday, Nov. 7 2014 

SALT LAKE CITY — This week's 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling upholding bans on same-sex marriage in four states could lead to a U.S. Supreme Court decision on whether Utah and other states have the final say on the issue.

"I think there's a great chance we're going to get a resolution," said Bill Duncan, Sutherland Institute director of the Center for Family and Society, and a "good chance" of seeing a ruling that spells out that states can prohibit same-sex unions.

"It's not a given, but it's a possibility. So hope is now alive for that position again," Duncan said. He said Utahns on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate should be excited about getting an answer from the high court.

Click Here to read entire article

Federal appeals court rules for gay marriage bans

By Dan Sewell, Associated Press

Published: Thursday, Nov. 6 2014 3:30 p.m. MST

CINCINNATI — A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld anti-gay marriage laws in four states, breaking ranks with other courts that have considered the issue and setting up the prospect of Supreme Court review.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel that heard arguments on gay marriage bans or restrictions in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee on Aug. 6 split 2-1, with Circuit Judge Jeffrey Sutton writing the majority opinion. The ruling creates a divide among federal appeals courts, increasing the likelihood the Supreme Court will now take up the issue.

The ruling concluded that states have the right to set rules for marriage.

Click here to read the entire article

SUPPORTING COMMENTS NEEDED:

My View: Children need mother and father

By Jennifer Brown

For the Deseret News

Published: Thursday, Oct. 30 2014 2:20 p.m. MDT

As I have raised my own children, I have been amazed at the very different but essential roles my husband and I both play in our sons’ lives.

As I have raised my own children, I have been amazed at the very different but essential roles my husband and I both play in our sons’ lives. He fulfills needs that I am not capable of satisfying. I, on the other hand, am able to nurture them in a way that is unique to a mother.

I always knew that men and women were very different. This was reiterated after we started having children. It was interesting the different ways we interacted with our babies.

Click here to read the entire article

City Says Ministers Don’t Have to Wed Same-Sex Couples, but Here’s Why It’s Not Over Yet

An Idaho town is not going to force a Christian ministry couple who own a wedding chapel to perform same-sex marriages there, the town’s chief attorney told The Daily Signal.

A lawsuit filed against the town by the ordained ministers to protect themselves from prosecution was based on “a misperception,” City Attorney Michael C. Gridley said, and he had no intentions of “threatening” and “imprisoning” them.

With these conciliatory words, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, backed off enforcing its nondiscrimination ordinance against the ministers, Donald and Evelyn Knapp. The move would have subjected the couple to thousands of dollars in fines and up to six months behind bars for declining to perform gay and lesbian wedding ceremonies at their Hitching Post Lakeside Wedding Chapel.

Click here to read why its not over yet...

Stay lifted on adoptions by same-sex parents in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Supreme Court lifted a stay Thursday on same-sex adoptions in the state, which had halted the issuance of birth certificates for same-sex parents.

With the stay lifted, the Utah Health Department is prepared to issue birth certificates to children of same-sex couples, a health department spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.

The Utah Attorney General's Office filed a petition for the stay in May after three Utah judges — Elizabeth Hruby-Mills, L.A. Dever and Andrew Stone — approved adoptions among same-sex couples who were married in Utah during a brief time it was legal after U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby overturned Utah's Amendment 3 that defined marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Click Here to read the entire article

Utahns support bill stating clergy don't have to perform same-sex marriages, poll shows

Dennis Romboy

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SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns overwhelmingly support legislation clarifying that clergy don't have to perform weddings for gay and lesbian couples, a new poll shows.

Specifically, UtahPolicy.com asked, "Several legislators say they will 

SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns overwhelmingly support legislation clarifying that clergy don't have to perform weddings for gay and lesbian couples, a new poll shows.

Specifically, UtahPolicy.com asked, "Several legislators say they will introduce bills to make it even more clear that clergy don't have to perform same-sex marriages or conduct or condone same-sex marriage associations. Do you support or oppose such a bill?"

The survey found 64 percent of residents strongly favor such measures, while 16 percent somewhat favor them. It also showed 6 percent would strongly oppose the legislation, and 7 percent would somewhat oppose it.

Dan Jones & Associates polled 405 registered voters Oct. 14-16. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent.

Rep. Jacob Anderegg, R-Lehi, is among the Utah lawmakers who intend to introduce "religious freedom" legislation when the Legislature meets in January.

Leaders of the Republican-controlled House and Senate put the brakes on those kinds of bills in the 2014 session, citing Utah's appeal of a federal court ruling that overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage.

After the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this month let stand lower court rulings allowing gays and lesbians to marry, state legislators said it's time move the legislation forward.

Would you support legislation clarifying that clergy don't have to perform weddings for gay and lesbian couples?

1.  Yes

2.  Maybe

3.  No

4.  Undecided

"I do want it very expressly known that this isn't meant to say we hate what the law is. It's just that the First Amendment needs to be upheld," Anderegg said in interview earlier this month.

Anderegg is proposing a law and a resolution for an amendment to the Utah Constitution that would exempt not only clergy but state and local government officials and judges from having to solemnize marriages that go against their religious beliefs.

CLICK HERE to read entire story