Tasteless Texas Lawmakers Celebrate 10 Years of Marriage Ban — With Cake

Several prominent Texas Republicans joined conservative group Texas Values at the state capitol Tuesday to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the state's constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

The "ceremonial" cake-cutting was part of Texas Faith and Family Day at the state capitol in Austin, reports the Austin-American Statesman. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick addressed the crowd, asking them to form an "army of supporters helping him and other Christian politicians oppose abortion, protect marriage, and defend the constitution," according to the Statesman.

"It's a battle, but we will be victorious," Patrick told attendees. "Because with God, who can be against us?"

Many speakers pointed to their Christian faith as not only justification for opposing marriage equality but also as evidence that they in fact are the victims in this "battle."

"It is not discriminatory, as they want to call it," Sen. Donna Campbell told the crowd, according to video from the Statesman. "It is actually discriminating against who? Against us! Against our families, our values. They're discriminating against us for honoring our traditional values and believing in God."

Alongside a decorative, multitier wedding cake, the cutting cake was a white rectangle adorned with pink frosting, including lettering that read "10th Anniversary of 2005 Marriage Act."

The cake, which was offered free to constituents, was brought to the capitol by Rep. Mark Keough, reports the Dallas Voice. The LGBT outlet also noted that Keough, a freshman Republican representing The Woodlands, is a sponsor of a bill that seeks to freeze the salary of any government employee who issues a marriage license to a same-sex couple.

But the truly ironic icing on the cake was highlighted by David Badash of LGBT blog The New Civil Rights Movement:

"Perhaps they've forgotten the birthday of their cherished discriminatory law. Texas Proposition 2, which added a same-sex marriage ban to the state's constitution, won't be a decade old till November 8. If it lives to see that day."

Texas's ban on same-sex marriage, which was approved overwhelmingly by voters, has been twice struck down --in federal court in February 2014 and this month in state court -- though both those decisions are on hold while the state appeals. Nevertheless, a lesbian couple in which one partner is suffering from ovarian cancer obtained a court order and were issued a marriage license in Travis County last week -- a point Texas Values organizers belabored in conversations with the Statesman. The state's Republican leadership is seeking to invalidate the women's marriage, with the attorney general asking the state Supreme Court to step in and declare the marriage void.