Lawyer: Debate over gay rights about more than same-sex marriage

Published: 2007-10-25

NEW YORK (CNS) -- The debate over the rights of homosexuals will impact religious organizations far beyond the issue of same-sex marriage, a lawyer specializing in church-state issues said Oct. 24. Marc D. Stern, general counsel for the American Jewish Congress, gave the closing talk at a daylong briefing in New York on the views of various religious traditions about homosexuality. "The granddaddy of all battles will be fought over tax exemptions," Stern said. He cited a case in which a religious organization that rented out its gazebo for weddings refused to rent it for a same-sex marriage and as a result had its property tax exemption suspended. The case remains under appeal, Stern said. "The question is, can you put a religious practice into effect in the face of a contrary statute?" he said. Different courts have come up with different answers, Stern added, and the question does not seem likely to be resolved soon. "This is not an abstract debate on principles," Stern said.

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