Oregon Church: Marrying Only Straight Couples "Discrimination"

Clergy of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Oregon have been instructed to not sign heterosexual marriage licenses until gay marriage is legal in the state, saying that to do otherwise would be discriminatory.

Rev. Pam Shepherd, seeing the act of signing marriage licenses for heterosexual couples as a form of discrimination against gays and lesbians, decided that in the name of fairness no licenses should be dignified with the signature of the church’s clergy until all families receive equal treatment under the law.

"The Rev. Pam Shepherd came up with the idea after realizing she was inadvertently contributing to discrimination against gay and lesbian couples, she said. 'I've been for civil rights for gay and lesbian people for a long, long time, but I never thought, 'I'm helping the discrimination every time I sign a license,'' she said. 'Every time I sign a license, it's like I'm saying, 'OK,' but it's not OK.'"