Joining the Heritage Foundation and the Family Research Council in opposing H.R. 1440 is the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Honestly, what are we to make of those dimwitted House Republicans who recently introduced a purportedly kinder, gentler version of the Equality Act, which is as dead as a door nail in the Senate. This kinder, gentler version is H.R. 1440, otherwise known as the “Fairness for All Act”. Fair for all? Don’t bet on it!
The purpose of H.R. 1440 is --
“To prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity; and to protect the free exercise of religion.”
According to the Family Research Council, this bill is “intended to be a grand harmonizing compromise. It seeks to find a resolution to the firestorm of litigation and controversy surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity.” And, according to some, such as the Alliance for Lasting Liberty, it achieves its aims.
H.R. 1440 pays homage to the sexual orientation and gender identity population by prohibiting discrimination against them in public accommodations, education, adoption and foster care, employment, marriage, jury selection, and credit. Even though H.R. 1440 appears to create exceptions for religious beliefs and practices, and prohibits government action against those that do not comply with other provisions of H.R. 1440 because of their religious beliefs and practices, according to the Heritage Foundation’s Sarah Parshall Perry --
“The bill parses out a complex selection of piecemeal protections for organizations meeting various conditions on an ad hoc basis. It protects some businesses under religious liberty’s ministerial exception to general discrimination law. It shields some churches (so long as the buildings aren’t used for commercial purposes), some marriage and family education providers (so long as they discriminate on “religious character” and not gender identity or sexual orientation), and some religious charities (so long as they receive funds “indirectly” through a voucher system). It’s a master class in death by a thousand cuts.”
“Worse”, states Ms. Perry, “the Fairness for All Act leaves individual objectors with no recourse. The message to private religious citizens, educators, medical professionals, scholastic athletes, or wedding service providers is clear -- “Submit, or else. Your religion be hanged.”
Joining the Heritage Foundation and the Family Research Council in opposing H.R. 1440 is the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Do these Republicans think the LGBT community or even the Democrat-led House of Representatives will thank them for this bill or actually get behind its passage? This community will find it offensive and unacceptable for anyone to seek religious accommodations or conscience protections pertaining to any of their issues. Moreover, the so-called Republicans supporting this bill are not of sound mind or good character if they think the “Fairness for All Act” is a bill every-day Republicans can get behind and support.
The twenty (20) Republican sponsors include: Mr. Stewart, Mr. Kinzinger, Mr. Garbarino, Mr. Moore of Utah, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Owens, Mr. Gimenez, Mr. Jacobs of New York, Ms. Tenney, Ms. Stefanik, Mr. Upton, Mr. Van Drew, Miss González-Colón, Mr. Curtis, Ms. Salazar, Mr. Diaz-Balart, Mr. Amodei, Mr. Simpson, Ms. Malliotakis, Mr. Stivers, and Mr. Reed.
No more Republicans should join this group and all that have signed on should pull out!
In the meantime, it is time to start House cleaning!
Thanks,
Demetria