How The Equality Act Threatens Speech, Religion, And Women’s Rights
If your church does not have a “for members only” policy regarding weddings, it is time to implement one. (Kevin Schaal) +
Could This Force Churches to Host Gay Weddings?
Gregory Angelo, a pioneer in Republican advocacy for gay rights, recently published a detailed argument titled “Don’t fall for the ‘Equality Act’,” addressing concerns about the act’s effects on religious freedom. He warns, “Don’t be fooled by the name: The Equality Act is legislation that would compromise American civil rights and religious liberty as we know it.”The act would ban the following locations from “discriminating” against individuals based on sexual or gender identity: a “stadium or other place of or establishment that provides exhibition, entertainment, recreation, exercise, amusement, gathering, or display; any establishment that provides a good, service, or program, including a store, shopping center, online retailer or service provider, salon, bank, gas station, food bank, service or care center, shelter, travel agency, or funeral parlor, or establishment that provides health care, accounting, or legal services; any train service, bus service, car service, taxi service, airline service, station, depot, or other place of or establishment that provides transportation service.”
Most importantly, “The bill prohibits the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 from providing a claim, defense, or basis for challenging such protections.” The bill essentially nullifies federal and state religious freedom protections by handing authority to the U.S. Department of Justice to interpret and investigate claims of discrimination.While this does not directly indicate, as Angelo writes, that churches would be forced to accommodate same-sex weddings, the language is vague enough in specifying “public accommodations” and “any establishment” to make the concern an issue. Considering the aggressiveness in which we have witnessed LGBT advocates pursue the smallest of infractions in small businesses catering to same-sex weddings, it is no longer an option to assume future advocates will honor the restraint and tolerance promised today.
Source: How The Equality Act Threatens Speech, Religion, And Women’s Rights
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