MERIDIAN — Congratulations to Ceara Sturgis and Emily Key. This couple is planning to hold a commitment ceremony this fall in Jackson to celebrate their love for each other.

    Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves isn't happy about it, though.

    “I am disappointed in the decision to allow a permit for same-sex marriage at a taxpayer-subsidized facility to be considered. Attorney General Hood’s legal advice goes against the wishes of an overwhelming majority of Mississippians.”

    That's the statement Tate issued after the Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum repealed its anti-gay policy, allowing same-sex couples to hold commitment ceremonies there.

    Wow! You'd think after serving two terms as state treasurer that Tate would realize gay people pay taxes, too. You'd think serving as our lieutenant governor — governor when Phil Bryant's out of the state — that Tate would want to represent all Mississippians.

    If Tate thinks the wishes of an overwhelming majority of Mississippians is the same thing as the wishes of an overwhelming majority of Mississippi voters, he's mistaken. And while the wishes of an overwhelming majority of Mississippi voters should matter when it comes to things like electing people, and the use of tax dollars, it shouldn't have a thing in the world to do with fair and equal protection under the law, or denying a group of people their civil liberties, or picking and choosing who has access to public property.

    If that were the case, Mississippi would have remained segregated longer than it did, and interracial marriages would have been outlawed longer than they were. Those aren't the kinds of things voters anywhere should be deciding anyway.

    I'm glad Tate has finally come around to being concerned with what voters want, however. It's obvious it didn't matter to him after an overwhelming majority of Mississippi voters rejected Proposition 26 last year (the personhood amendment). He went right ahead and pushed legislation to do the same thing that amendment was structured to do anyway — end abortion in Mississippi.

    This is what I'm disappointed in; I'm disappointed we have a young, smart, talented lieutenant governor who isn't more progressive than the old-time elected officials from 50 years ago who also fought to deny certain people their civil liberties. Those aren't conservative ideals. That's fascism.



    Steve Gillespie is managing editor of The Meridian Star. E-mail him at sgillespie@themeridianstar.com.