Here’s what happens when you have a Republican-controlled state legislature these days. Indiana has passed a law that makes it a felony for same-sex couples even to apply for a marriage license. Yes, that’s right. In Indiana, you can now be sent to jail merely for asking for a marriage license. Fortunately, you won’t be alone. The state is also willing to jail any clerk who issues a marriage license to a same-sex couple. Plus, you will have your own chaplain, because the state is also prepared to jail any minister who performs a same-sex marriage.

The new law means that a same-sex couple asking for a marriage license are committing a felony punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $10,000 fine. Everyone else would face misdemeanor charges, which are punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, because we know who the real criminals are here. The new law will take effect in July 2014.

But wait! There’s more!

The legislature is also considering a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriages in the state. To do so, they would put a measure on the November 2014 ballot for voters to decide. Gov. Mike Pence and the GOP leadership are all supportive of that idea and are ready to party like it’s 2004. Pence is clearly not much of a believer in people who disagree with him. He just apologized for staffers deleting pro-marriage equality statements from his Facebook page. Given half a chance, we’re sure that the Republicans could find ways to jail people for making those statements in the first place.