Newspaper Cites God, Cuts Man's Husband from Mother's Obituary

When a gay man's mother died, a Texas newspaper that published her obituary decided "for ethical reasons" it would scrub any mention of the man's husband.

Brenda Lights of Dallas died on February 14, and her son Barry Giles submitted an obituary to his local newspaper, the Olton Enterprise. His name was printed in the obituary among those mourning the loss of a loved one. But the newspaper's publisher cut Giles' husband, John Gambill. The reason isn't a mystery.

"It is my religious conviction that a male cannot have a husband," said Philip Hamilton, publisher of the Olton Enterprise, in a statement to Fox 4 KDFW. "It is also my belief that to publish anything contrary to God's word on this issue would be to publish something in the newspaper that is not true."

Hamilton is among those fanatical religious Americans who refuse to believe same-sex couples who are married are actually married. They also believe it's within their right to ignore the legal definition of marriage. Beliefs such as Hamilton's are the basis for religious exemptions being pushed at the state and federal level to protect those like him who refuse to believe same-sex married couples exist. In reality, the two Texas men have been together for 31 years, and they reportedly cared for Gambill's mother in her final days.

Watch the KDFW interview with the grieving couple in the video below: