Virginia governor rejects bill seeking protections for those who oppose same-sex marriage

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has rejected a legislation that was aimed at prohibiting the government from punishing those who refuse to participate in same-sex weddings due to their religious convictions.

Two identical bills, Senate Bill 1324 and House Bill 2025, were vetoed last week by McAuliffe, who said in a statement that the legislation is "nothing more than an attempt to stigmatize."

Senate Bill 1324, introduced by state Sen. Charles Carrico (R-Galax), would not require any individual or religious institution to "participate in the solemnization of any marriage" that conflicts with "a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman," Washington Blade reported.

The identical bill was introduced by State Del. Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper) in the Virginia House of Delegates.

The Democratic governor also vetoed a similar proposal last year. Republican supporters of the legislation said that it is necessary to protect religious freedom.

The legislation also sought to protect churches and other religious organizations from losing state contracts, tax benefits, grants or other benefits for upholding their beliefs in traditional marriage.

The governor argued that the Constitution already protects legitimate religious freedoms and claimed that the legislation would have been detrimental to the state's economy if it was signed into law.

McAuliffe, who is often at odds with the Republican-led General Assembly over social issues, has now vetoed more legislation than any Virginia governor in history.

The two bills were introduced after McAuliffe issued Executive Order 61, which requires the state to enter into government contracts only with businesses and organizations that have anti-discrimination policies that protect homosexuals and transgenders in "its employment practices, subcontracting practices, and delivery of goods or services."

Some Christian groups accused McAuliffe of being discriminatory. The Family Foundation of Virginia contended that the bills would have ensured that a religious charity would not be denied access to state benefits for upholding its beliefs on traditional marriage.

"[O]nce again, Governor McAuliffe sided with the radical LGBT lobby and the ACLU in claiming that protecting the faiths of countless churches, religious schools and religious organizations amounts to discrimination and even going so far as to say it equates to 'demonizing people,'" the group said in a statement.

"The governor, of course, is all too comfortable with demonizing anyone who happens to disagree with him!" the group added.