The Republican-controlled Tennessee state House of Representatives voted on Monday to pass a bill that would allow county officials to deny same-sex or interracial couples marriage licenses.
House Bill 878 states that county clerks and their staff "shall not be required to solemnize a marriage if the person has an objection to solemnizing the marriage based on the person's conscience or religious beliefs." The bill now heads to the Senate, which will begin consideration of its passage in the chamber next week.
