With the battle to stop marriage equality largely lost - A Supreme Court ruling in June may put the last coffin in the Christofascists' coffin - the "godly folk" and their simpering political whores in the Republican Party are putting on pushes in state legislatures to grant unfettered license for anti-gay discrimination. While Del. Bob Marshall's anti-gay bill was defeated in the Virginia General Assembly, every pro-gay bill introduced this session was killed by Virginia Republicans. Meanwhile, in Kansas, a bill has been introduced by gay-hater extraordinaire Sally Kern to ban any restrictions on fraudulent "ex-gay" therapy. In Arkansas, Republicans just pushed through a bill than bans localities from enacting LGBT anti-discrimination protections. Now, West Virginia and North Carolina may be poised to follow the Arkansas Model. A piece at The Bilerico Project by blogger friend John Becker looks at this campaign of hate fueled by anti-gay animus in red states across the country. As always, laws enshrining religious based discrimination are falsely labeled as "protecting religious freedom." Here are highlights:
As marriage equality advances across the country and polls show that an overwhelming majority of young people reject anti-LGBT bigotry, opponents of LGBT human rights are growing increasingly panicked.
But instead of recognizing that they're on the wrong side of history and moving their prejudicial views out of the Stone Age, they're hysterically trying to cause as much damage to LGBT people as they possibly can, while they still have the power to do so.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the states, where conservative lawmakers are rushing to create special "rights" to discriminate against LGBT people under the guise of protecting "religious liberty" and banning cities and counties from adopting LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination laws. We've covered the onslaught of anti-LGBT attacks in the states here on Bilerico for months now, but it shows no signs of stopping.
Here's a sampling of the latest anti-LGBT attacks.
Arkansas: The "Land of Opportunity" just passed SB 202, a law that effectively bans LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination ordinances. But legislators there aren't done yet: they're gearing up to debate and pass HB 1228, which would make it legal for people and businesses to discriminate if they say their religion compels them to.
Indiana: The GOP-dominated Senate in the Hoosier State has overwhelmingly approved a so-called "religious freedom" measure that would allow business owners to refuse services to same-sex couples who are getting married. As the Indianapolis Star reports, the bill is a barely-concealed attempt by conservatives to get back at LGBT people for defeating a marriage discrimination amendment and winning the freedom to marry last year.
Iowa: Marriage equality has been the law of the land in Iowa for nearly six years thanks to a unanimous ruling from that state's Supreme Court, but GOP lawmakers in the Hawkeye State are still trying to turn back the clock and get the ruling overturned.The Des Moines Register writes that a group of 23 Republicans are trying to put the question up to a statewide referendum
North Carolina: The Tar Heel State's marriage discrimination amendment was invalidated in October and same-sex couples have been legally marrying there ever since. At least ten magistrates, whose responsibilities include performing civil marriages, have resigned from their jobs rather than comply with the law and perform them for same-sex couples. Now, some North Carolina Republicans are trying to create a special right for these public officials to disobey the law.
Oklahoma: A bill from the notoriously homophobic GOP State Rep. Sally Kern that would prohibit the state from regulating dangerous and discredited "ex-gay" torture therapy has advanced out of committee
Texas: The Lone Star State is considering SB 343, an Arkansas-style bill that would block cities from enacting LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination ordinances. ThinkProgress reports that a whopping 7.5 million people live in cities where such protections currently exist (including Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Plano, San Antonio, and soon, Houston) -- but if SB 343 becomes law, those ordinances would likely be invalidated.
West Virginia: On Monday, West Virginia lawmakers introduced HB 2881, a bill blocking cities and counties from expanding anti-discrimination protections beyond classes protected by state law -- which, as in Arkansas, would have the effect of blocking municipalities from enacting ordinances protecting LGBT people from discrimination. . . . The measure passed out of committee Wednesday afternoon on a 16-8 vote.
Wyoming: In the Cowboy State, lawmakers in the Republican dominated House killed a bill that would have made the state's anti-discrimination laws LGBT-inclusive. . . . Same-sex couples have the freedom to marry in Wyoming, but the defeat of this bill means that the state will remain a place where an LGBT person can legally marry a same-sex spouse on Saturday and then be fired from their job for it on Monday.
In short, the battle for full equality is nowhere near over. Sadly, it will not end until the larger public says "No" to the undeserved deference given to religion, especially vile forms of Christianity, and Republicans who support Christofascists are driven from office.
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