Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Canadian Marriage Commissioner Appeals Gay-Marriage Requirement
LifeSite News yesterday reported on a case pending in a Manitoba (Canada) Court of Queen's Bench brought by a former provincial marriage commissioner who was forced to surrender his license after he refused to perform same-sex marriages. After the legalization of same-sex unions in Canada in 2004, Manitoba adopted a policy requiring commissioners to perform them. However Ken Kisilowsky says that the policy violates his evangelical Christian beliefs. Clergy are not required to perform same-sex marriage, but others who hold licenses as marriage commissioners are. After the Manitoba Human Rights Commission rejected his religious discrimination claim, he filed the pending appeal. A number of marriage commissioners in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and British Columbia have resigned over similar requirements. [Thanks to Alliance Alert for the lead.]