Georgia Libertarian Acts Like Real Libertarian: Supports Marriage Equality

It’s not often I get to bring you news from the right that makes sense, but today, and no, this is not an April Fools joke, I am pleased to present a Libertarian who is acting like a real Libertarian, and he’s from the South.

In Georgia, the chairman of the Cobb County Libertarian Party and executive director of the Libertarian Party of Georgia, Brett Bittner, changed his Facebook profile to a red version of the Human Rights Campaign’s logo in order to show his support marriage equality. When asked why, he said he thinks the government should get out of the marriage business all together, but since that’s unlikely to happen any time soon, he supports equal treatment under the law.

The Marietta Daily Journal reported on Saturday:

Bittner, who is , said if it were up to him, government would get out of the marriage business altogether.

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“But in the interim, because I realize that government does not cede power quickly or easily, I would like to see equal treatment under the law,” Bittner said.

The Libertarian Party is supposed to stand for “minimum government, maximum freedom”. You wouldn’t know that by listening to many of its representatives, who use minimum government as a way to try to steal rights away from certain minorities, while pushing for using big government to control women’s bodies over religious beliefs that clearly do not align with the stated principle of the Libertarian Party.

The Libertarian Party’s own platform clearly states:

1.3 Personal Relationships

Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on the government’s treatment of individuals, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws. Government does not have the authority to define, license or restrict personal relationships. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships.

1.4 Abortion

Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration.

It is beliefs like these that attract many young people to the Libertarian Party. Imagine their disillusionment when that party is co-opted by the Koch Brothers and/or used to push a religious agenda. Imagine their disappointment when their party inevitably gets merged with the Republican Party.

Bittner has to hang with people like Georgia GOP (the party of alleged “small government”) Chairwoman Sue Everhart, who is against marriage equality because it’s not natural, “Lord, I’m going to get in trouble over this, but it is not natural for two women or two men to be married. If it was natural, they would have the equipment to have a sexual relationship.”

She’s also worried about fraud against the government, as if straight people have never married for health insurance, “Say you had a great job with the government where you had this wonderful health plan. I mean, what would prohibit you from saying that you’re gay, and y’all get married and still live as separate, but you get all the benefits? I just see so much abuse in this it’s unreal. I believe a husband and a wife should be a man and a woman, the benefits should be for a man and a woman. There is no way that this is about equality. To me, it’s all about a free ride.”

Everhart clearly thinks highly enough of government healthcare to suppose that desperate Americans will fake a marriage in order to get their hands on it. Makes you wonder why Republicans are trying to so hard to kill Obamacare. But the real problem with her belief is that there is no evidence that straight people wanting to defraud the government can’t do it by marrying a heterosexual, or that the percentage of straight people doing so would rise if marriage equality were passed. In the end, implicitly praising the closest thing to universal healthcare in order to smear marriage equality is a sign of how far off of the ledge the GOP is.

As for the equipment argument, humans have been having sex with same sex partners for a really long time, so obviously the equipment is there. If it works for them, why does she care? Why do Republicans take it for granted that their religious beliefs should be policy? Her short statement contains a stunning lack of logic combined with a clueless conflation of religion and government, which perfectly reflects the distortion of “small government” inherent within the modern day Republican Party. Yes, they’ve by and large become a cult. Bittner’s support for freedom and seriously small government (on this issue, at least) serves as a high contrast with the GOP’s utter cluster muck on the issue.

Bittner might not always get things right, but his attitude toward marriage equality is a breath of fresh air in its lack of hypocrisy. Too bad the Libertarian Party can’t seem to get national leaders who actually live up to their platform.

Sarah Jones

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