Christianists: Gay Non-Discrimination Bill Will Stifle Free Speech

Colorado Rep. Jared Polis, with 60 co-sponsors, has introduced the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA), or H.R. 4530, which would put lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students on "equal footing" with their peers, much as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 did for minorities and Title IX did for women. Not surprisingly, the Christianist wingnuts are overwhelmed in hysteria and near convulsions at the thought that their ability to brutalize LGBT youth might be subjected to limits. As I have noted numerous times before, the Christianists believe free speech and freedom of religion are a one way street: they protect the Christianists right to do whatever they want and abuse whoever they want, but God forbid that other citizens have comparable rights. It's ALWAYS all about the Christianists and their desire to disparage and marginalize others. Here are highlights from Fox News' coverage of the far right rant:
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"That's a violation of those kids who want to express opposition to LGBT opinions or behavior. People have a legitimate reason to be concerned about this -- not because they're 'haters' but because you're now trying to balance different rights."
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Other critics, meanwhile, say the bill will be used to push what they say is a homosexual agenda in public schools. "It seems pretty consistent with Kevin Jennings being appointed in the Obama administration," said Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit public interest law firm, referring to the controversial founder of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network who now serves as the assistant deputy secretary for the Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
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"When [Jennings] founded GLSEN, his idea of a safe school was one that pushed a radical homosexual agenda by even encouraging first and second-graders to engage in homosexual activity," Staver said. "So I think that's the impetus behind this bill. We have an administration that wants to push a radical social agenda."
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H.R. 4530 is closely modeled after Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which bans discrimination on the basis of sex. It contains the threat of loss of federal funding for non-compliant schools and says that no state may be immune under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution from suit in federal court for violating the Act.
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Staver, of the Liberty Council, said the legislation is intolerant of any "opposing or traditional" views and called on Congress to be more focused on the country's economic woes, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the threat of terrorism.
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Staver and Liberty University/Liberty Counsel are an embarrassment to Virginia. I truly wish that more members of the judiciary would grow some balls and call anti-gay discrimination for what it is: religious based discrimination which is ALREADY illegal if the Courts would simply call a spade a spade.