LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) — Defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman upholds biblical standards for the family and prevents activist judges from arbitrarily overthrowing accepted standards of morality, seminary professor Hershael York said in a debate on Kentucky Educational Television Aug. 16.

York, who serves as Lester Professor of Christian Preaching at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Ky., argued that Kentucky voters must support a proposed amendment to the state’s constitution in order to preserve the traditional definition of marriage. The amendment, which will go before voters Nov. 2, would outlaw any marriage or civil union between homosexuals.

Appearing alongside York were Walter Jones, policy analyst for The Family Foundation of Kentucky; Ricky Jones, professor of Pan-African studies at the University of Louisville; and Albert Pennybacker, chair and CEO of the Clergy Network for National Leadership Change.

Ricky Jones countered York’s argument, saying that any law restricting same-sex “marriage” improperly marginalizes homosexuals. Such marginalizing is comparable to the discrimination against African Americans that took place in the United States following the Civil War, Jones said.

But according to Walter Jones, The Family Foundation spokesman, restricting same-sex “marriage” is different than discriminating against someone on the basis of his or her race. Racial discrimination is “an issue of biology. This is an issue of behavior,” he said.