February 21, 2018 BY ARIEL SOBEL ADVOCATE A new bill filed in South Carolina is challenging the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marraige. The bill, called the "Marriage and Constitution Restoration Act," seeks to make marriage only between men and women, and deem all others "parody marriages." The act, sponsored by six Republican assemblymembers, was filed around Valentine's Day — alongside a nearly identical bill in Wyoming submitted on the actual holiday. The South Carolina legislation states [...]

February 21, 2018 By Caitlin Byrd Post and Courier South Carolina saw its number of hate groups rise for the second year in a row, mirroring a national trend fueled by growing divides in the U.S. and rhetoric coming out of the Trump White House, a new report says. The Southern Poverty Law Center on Wednesday released its annual "Year in Hate and Extremism" report, which documents the number and the types of hate groups operating nationwide. In South Carolina, 14 [...]

February 20, 2018 by Lou Chibbaro Jr. Washington Blade Six members of the South Carolina House of Representatives last week introduced a bill calling for redefining same-sex marriages in the state as “parody marriages” and prohibiting the state from recognizing such marriages. “‘Parody marriage’ means any form of marriage that does not involve one man and one woman,” the bill states. “The State of South Carolina shall no longer respect, endorse, or recognize any form of parody marriage policy [...]

February 20, 2018 By Jamie Lovegrove Post and Courier COLUMBIA — A bill that would effectively ban all abortions in South Carolina has cleared a critical hurdle in the state Senate, boosting a proposal that has been a top priority of social conservatives for years over the strenuous objections of reproductive health advocates. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the bill Tuesday on a 12-9 vote after two hours of heated debate, advancing the measure to the full Senate floor. Known [...]