Post by Logan on Feb 17, 2016 7:57:35 GMT -6
Horrific, Anti-Gay ‘Indiana on Steroids’ Bills Advance in Georgia, Virginia
Bills that would sanction rampant discrimination against gay couples and their children — as well as straight people who’ve had sex out of wedlock — advanced in both Georgia and Virginia on Tuesday.
The so-called First Amendment Defense Acts (or FADAs) are considered more dangerous than Indiana’s anti-LGBT Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) of 2015. In fact, the FADAs have been referred to as “RFRA on steroids.”
Virginia’s FADA is unlikely to become law because it lacks the support of a veto-proof majority and the state has a Democratic governor, but the same cannot be said for Senate Bill 284 from Georgia GOP Sen. Mark Kirk (above), a former Southern Baptist pastor. After delaying action on SB 284 last week, the Senate Rules Committee on Tuesday combined it with another so-called “religious freedom” measure, the Pastor Protection Act, before sending it to the full Senate, according to Project Q Atlanta.
“I listened to the concerns of the faith community, the business community and the LGBT community and I truly believe this legislation protects all individuals,” Kirk told the committee. “The bill I bring before you today is not a perfect bill but it is a bill very much needed to protect those who have given their life to ministry.”
Read more: www.towleroad.com/2016/02/horrific-anti-gay-indiana-steroids-bills-advance-georgia-virginia/
Cross-posted on the Virginia sub-board.
Bills that would sanction rampant discrimination against gay couples and their children — as well as straight people who’ve had sex out of wedlock — advanced in both Georgia and Virginia on Tuesday.
The so-called First Amendment Defense Acts (or FADAs) are considered more dangerous than Indiana’s anti-LGBT Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) of 2015. In fact, the FADAs have been referred to as “RFRA on steroids.”
Virginia’s FADA is unlikely to become law because it lacks the support of a veto-proof majority and the state has a Democratic governor, but the same cannot be said for Senate Bill 284 from Georgia GOP Sen. Mark Kirk (above), a former Southern Baptist pastor. After delaying action on SB 284 last week, the Senate Rules Committee on Tuesday combined it with another so-called “religious freedom” measure, the Pastor Protection Act, before sending it to the full Senate, according to Project Q Atlanta.
“I listened to the concerns of the faith community, the business community and the LGBT community and I truly believe this legislation protects all individuals,” Kirk told the committee. “The bill I bring before you today is not a perfect bill but it is a bill very much needed to protect those who have given their life to ministry.”
Read more: www.towleroad.com/2016/02/horrific-anti-gay-indiana-steroids-bills-advance-georgia-virginia/
Cross-posted on the Virginia sub-board.