It seems to me that secession would be the only way around it at this point.
Turn over all licensing to recognized religious organizations where only church members are issued a state recognized license. Convert marriage to a private religious enterprise the state will recognize for tax filing purposes.
Exactly. Every time we try to get around it we expose our flank.
Not likely to happen. Think it through. Urban areas are leftist. So in Texas you think Houston, Dallas, Austin, etc would agree to secede? Or counties around the urban areas would somehow coalesce and secede without the resources in the big cities?
We also no longer have great statesmen in the South like we did in the Civil War area. Yeah we have a few like Sessions and Cruz but not many and even Alabama’s governor is a RINO. There are no politicians calling for secession.