NY Religous Exemptions posted online - read it here

[BR_Parkway]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/58656571/ssmamendment

[Unvanguard]

1. They look okay to me. The non-severability clause is a bit weird.

Presumably they're worried that a court will strike down the religious exemptions, but I'm not sure why.

[BR_Parkway]

5. Yeah, wonder what happens to the SSM part if the whole bill is struck down

by a court.

[Unvanguard]

7. It's invalidated too. That's the point of the non-severability clause.

Doesn't seem very likely to me. Probably a concession to appease the somewhat-more-paranoid worries of opponents about the liberal activist judiciary.

[BR_Parkway]

8. California deja vu?

[BR_Parkway]

2. Appears to only apply to religious organizations and affilitated non-profits

not individual business owners

[Mz Pip]

6. That's how I read it.

But I'm not a lawyer. It looks like a church will have the right to refuse to rent out its community hall for a wedding reception for a Gay couple if it chose to.

Not sure if that is really fair. I know I would not be able to get married in a Catholic Church since I'm not Catholic and would not jump through the religious hoops to do so, but I doubt the Church would object to my renting a hall for a reception.

[Kerrytravelers]

3. i.e. We can be bigots if we want.

And I think it would be perfectly fine to make a public list of who these people are and to post it online so that we all know with who not to conduct business.

Maybe HRC or another organization will do this. I think they should.

[aquart]

4. Great! Let 'em go broke.

This is a bonanza in a time of trouble. Anyone who doesn't want a piece of this action, GREAT! So very much more for the businesses that do. And there are plenty of them. Desperate restaurants and halls. Caterers with skills sitting by the phone. And gifts! And suits! And gowns!

There is going to be a spending spree and any idiot who doesn't want in on it, hallelujah!

And in Manhattan, I guarantee you that there are loving churches that will embrace you with joy and true friendship, because I had friends who found them.

[NYC Liberal]

9. As long as the state recognizes and can perform the marriages,

that is the most important thing.

[eggplant]

10. I think that if the non-severability becomes an issue...

...then we can just pass it again without the clause later on.

Having a celebration party at a venue that is hostile to the party goers seems like a bummer of a party anyway.