Attention fellow Republicans: it’s time to get with the program. It’s 2015 and same-sex marriage is a thing.

Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis returned to work on Monday after being released from her five-day jail sentence in Kentucky. She was found in contempt of court for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Despite being jailed, Davis said she will no longer be refusing, nor authorizing, these marriage licenses.

Ultra-conservative Republican presidential candidates Sen. Ted Cruz and former Gov. Mike Huckabee attended her release last Tuesday to congratulate her defense of religious freedom. However, these two figures should not dominate the image of the party.

One of the main staples of the Republican platform is advocating for the preservation of personal liberties. With that in mind, denying basic rights to same-sex couples should go against the core beliefs of the party. By supporting Davis, Sen. Cruz and Gov. Huckabee are supporting backwards and hypocritical thinking, which gives the entire party a bad name.

Despite the joy expressed by the conservative presidential candidates upon Davis’ release, the Republican Party should be quite worried. Not only does this imply that Republicans are against same-sex marriage, but homosexuality in general.

This is a major turn off to millennial voters in particular, as The Hill reported that 61 percent of Republican voters aged 18 to 34 support marriage equality. Without the backing of this crucial demographic, it will not be possible for the GOP to secure the presidency in 2016.

While marriage may have religious aspects, it’s also a legally binding contract between two people. The law cannot discriminate against same-sex couples, and that is exactly what Davis is guilty of doing.

The fact that there are political leaders who applaud her for doing so reinforces the stereotype that Republicans are not embracing social change, which will come back to haunt GOP candidates as the race to the White House ensues.

Regardless of one’s political affiliation, as citizens of the United States, everyone is guaranteed life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. For members of the LGBT community, this set of rights had a delayed onset, as the Supreme Court only declared same-sex marriage legal in June.

Not a single Republican contender publically applauded the ruling. What does that say about the potential leaders that are vying for the presidential nomination? It says that they place more value on their religious beliefs than on their politics.

Though there is a strong correlation between the Christian faith and the Republican Party, the party must abide by the law of the land, rather than fight a lost battle. By alienating outside groups, including those who may not identify with Christianity or are gay, the Republican Party is seriously lagging behind.

If the GOP ever wants to be in the White House again, it is time for the party to acknowledge that while marriage has multiple interpretations, marital equality is reserved for all Americans.

Vanessa Salman is a junior political science major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at vksalman@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @VanessaSalman.

Published on September 16, 2015 at 12:27 am