A state representative from Michigan is facing an online tirade after he suggested the United States should “make gay marriage illegal again” and asserted that his opinion isn’t controversial nor extreme – despite public polling showing the opposite.
Joshua “Josh” Schriver, who represents the 66th district in the Michigan House of Representatives, is the self-proclaimed “most conservative state representative”.
Having known to stir controversy online with his posts, he posted his poorly-received message on X Monday.
“Make gay marriage illegal again. This is not remotely controversial, nor extreme,” Schriver wrote.
Same-sex marriage has been legally protected in the United States since 2015 when the Supreme Court ruled in the case Obergefell v. Hodges. Before then, 19 states had laws protecting same-sex marriage.
In general, most people support the legalization of same-sex marriage. One Gallup poll, conducted as recently as May, found that 69 percent of people believe same-sex marriage should be recognized by law with the same rights as heterosexual marriages.
That poll found that approximately 46 percent of Republicans agree with that.
Make gay marriage illegal again.
— Rep. Josh Schriver (@JoshuaSchriver) December 2, 2024
This is not remotely controversial, nor extreme.
By Tuesday afternoon, more than six million people had viewed Schriver’s post and multiple notable lawmakers responded by scolding his claim – including the Michigan Attorney General, who has been married to her wife since 2015.
“Please explain how dissolving my marriage, or that of the hundreds of thousands of other same-sex couples living in America, provides a benefit to your constituents or anyone else. You’re not interested in helping Michiganders. You want only to hurt those you hate. Shame on you,” the state Attorney General, Dana Nessel, said.
Fellow Michigan Representative Jason Morgan responded to Schiver saying it is “definitely both controversial and extreme”. He added that Donald Trump’s election “emboldens & empowers these extreme Republicans.”
The Independent has asked Schriver for comment on the backlash but has not yet received a response. Online, Schriver doubled down on his claim, despite the evidence that people agree same-sex marriage should be legal.
Please explain how dissolving my marriage, or that of the hundreds of thousands of other same-sex couples living in America, provides a benefit to your constituents or anyone else. You’re not interested in helping Michiganders. You want only to hurt those you hate. Shame on you. https://t.co/fTmiYA8RiC
— Dana Nessel (@dananessel) December 2, 2024
He posted a 16-year-old clip of former president Barack Obama saying marriage is “between a man and a woman” – something Obama later shifted his stance on.
“20 years ago, Barack Obama was more conservative on marriage than many Republicans today,” Shriver wrote. “America only ’accepted’ gay marriage after it was thrusted into her by a perverted Supreme Court ruling”.
In 2008, public support for same-sex marriage was around 40 percent, according to Gallup.
But since then, the U.S. has become far more welcoming of same-sex marriage. For many young adults, same-sex marriage has been legal their entire adult life.
The notion that same-sex marriage is at risk of losing federal protections has only been taken seriously recently. That was after Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas signaled he would support the move in a 2022 court opinion.
Other than recommending the U.S. should outlaw gay marriage again, Schriver has also said that “White erasure is wrong” and declared it too “isn’t controversial.”
