<sod>On February 19, 2016, the Georgia Senate passed a religious freedom bill into law; if it is passed by the state House and signed by governor [[Nathan Deal]], it will become law. If it does, it will have two effects: the first is to allow  pastors to refuse to perform same-sex marriages on religious grounds. The second would be to allow faith-based organizations to legally opt out of serving couples, regardless of whether the couples are gay or straight.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/22/politics/georgia-religious-freedom-bill/ | title=Georgia Senate passes religious freedom bill | work=CNN | date=22 February 2016 | accessdate=22 February 2016 | author=Almasy, Steve}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/gay-marriage-opponents-win-religious-liberty-vote-/nqS8c/ | title=Gay marriage opponents win ‘religious liberty’ vote in Georgia Senate | work=Atlanta Journal-Constitution | date=19 February 2016 | accessdate=22 February 2016 | author=Torres, Kristina}}</ref><ref>http://money.cnn.com/2016/03/25/news/companies/georgia-religious-freedom-bill/</ref><eod>
<sod>On February 19, 2016, the Georgia Senate passed a religious freedom bill; if it is passed by the state House and signed by governor [[Nathan Deal]], it will become law. If it does, it will have two effects: the first is to allow  pastors to refuse to perform same-sex marriages on religious grounds. The second would be to allow faith-based organizations to legally opt out of serving couples, regardless of whether the couples are gay or straight.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/22/politics/georgia-religious-freedom-bill/ | title=Georgia Senate passes religious freedom bill | work=CNN | date=22 February 2016 | accessdate=22 February 2016 | author=Almasy, Steve}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/gay-marriage-opponents-win-religious-liberty-vote-/nqS8c/ | title=Gay marriage opponents win ‘religious liberty’ vote in Georgia Senate | work=Atlanta Journal-Constitution | date=19 February 2016 | accessdate=22 February 2016 | author=Torres, Kristina}}</ref><ref>http://money.cnn.com/2016/03/25/news/companies/georgia-religious-freedom-bill/</ref><eod>