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Georgia looking to pass its own legal discrimination bill

deactivated-5b1e62582e305 · 2014-02-25 08:21:09

A bill moving swiftly through the Georgia House of Representatives would allow business owners who believe homosexuality is a sin to openly discriminate against gay Americans by denying them employment or banning them from restaurants and hotels.The proposal, dubbed the Preservation of Religious Freedom Act, would allow any individual or for-profit company to ignore Georgia laws—including anti-discrimination and civil rights laws—that 'indirectly constrain' exercise of religion. Atlanta, for example, prohibits discrimination against LGBT residents seeking housing, employment, and public accommodations. But the state bill could trump Atlanta's protections.The Georgia bill, which was introduced last week and was scheduled to be heard in subcommittee Monday afternoon, was sponsored by six state representatives (some of them Democrats). A similar bill has been introduced in the state Senate.The Georgia House bill's text is largely identical to controversial legislation that passed in Arizona last week. The Arizona measure—which is currently awaiting Republican Gov. Jan Brewer's signature—has drawn widespread protests from LGBT groups and local businesses. One lawmaker who voted for the Arizona bill, Sen. Steve Pierce (R-Prescott), went so far as to publicly change his mind.Georgia and Arizona are only the latest states to push religious freedom bills that could nullify discrimination laws. The new legislation is part of a wave of state laws drafted in response to a New Mexico lawsuit in which a photographer was sued for refusing to work for a same-sex couple.Unlike similar bills introduced in Kansas, Tennessee, and South Dakota, the Georgia and Arizona bills do not explicitly target same-sex couples. But that difference could make the impact of the Georgia and Arizona bills even broader. Legal experts, including Eunice Rho, advocacy and policy counsel for the ACLU, warn that Georgia and Arizona's religious-freedom bills are so sweeping that they open the door for discrimination against not only gay people, but other groups as well. The New Republic noted that under the Arizona bill, 'a restaurateur could deny service to an out-of-wedlock mother, a cop could refuse to intervene in a domestic dispute if his religion allows for husbands beating their wives, and a hotel chain could refuse to rent rooms to Jews, Hindus, or Muslims.''The government should not allow individuals or corporations to use religion as an excuse to discriminate [or] to deny other access to basic healthcare and safety precautions,' Maggie Garrett, legislative director for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, wrote in a letter to a Georgia House Judiciary subcommittee on Sunday.State representative Sam Teasley, the first sponsor listed on the bill, did not respond to request for comment Monday.'The bill was filed and is being pushed solely because that's what all the cool conservative kids are doing, and because it sends a message of defiance to those who believe that gay Americans ought to be treated the same as everybody else,' writes Jay Bookman, a columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 'Passing it would seriously stain the reputation of Georgia and the Georgia Legislature.'http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2014/02/new-bill-georgia-would-allow-businesses-kick-gay-people-out-dinersWell, at least they are not beating around the bush anymore with their bigotry. Going to be so funny when these bills cause the Supreme Court to comment and make gays a protected class.

lostrib

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#151 lostrib

Member since 2009 • 49999 Posts

@Jacanuk said:

@lostrib said:

@Jacanuk said:

@wis3boi said:

Gotta love it when the evangelicals cry foul when someone takes away their stick as they beat someone with it (metaphorically)

You know i get that no one should discriminate on insane grounds, but why is it ok to beat religious people over the head and basically say "hey you idiot, we know what you believe is wrong so go f yourself"

It´s actually pretty insane how much power liberals have because they can use the public opinion which are generate by fear for some people.

Not sure I understand your point, can you please explain/clarify it

Well, my point was that while we are cried our ears full of "we need to accept everyone" it seems that no-one really need to accept religious people when they believe things someone doesn't deem "acceptable"

Not that i have a problem with religious people being hit on the head but its kinda funny that liberals can decide what is ok and what is not.

You don't need to accept them, you just can't discriminate against them.

10 years ago

Jacanuk

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#152 Jacanuk

Member since 2011 • 20281 Posts

@lostrib said:

@Jacanuk said:

@lostrib said:

@Jacanuk said:

@Serraph105 said:

@Makhaidos said:

The Arizona bill was just vetoed.

Interesting turn of events indeed.

Well, to be honest were you expecting it not to be?

But again perhaps the gay community shouldn't be so quick to decide what people can and cannot do, i still remember the gay couple who made a huge deal out of being denied service at a religious bakery, seriously why would you go to a place you know has beliefs that go against your lifestyle. Its crazy and this is why its being fought with more craziness.

It wasn't a religious bakery, it was a bakery run by people who turned out to be religious

There are more then one case but the one i am talking about was a cater/baker who refused to cater to a gay couples marriage.

But let me ask you this in cases where personal and religious values and beliefs are in play, where does the freedom to practice religion end and equal treatment under the law begin?

When you open a business dealing with the public

Ok, i kinda agree with you.

I do however still believe that as long as no law was broken, and as i remember this case there wasn´t any charges brought against the couple, that they have the right as it says under the law to refuse service.

10 years ago

lostrib

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#153 lostrib

Member since 2009 • 49999 Posts

@Jacanuk said:

@lostrib said:

@Jacanuk said:

@lostrib said:

@Jacanuk said:

@Serraph105 said:

@Makhaidos said:

The Arizona bill was just vetoed.

Interesting turn of events indeed.

Well, to be honest were you expecting it not to be?

But again perhaps the gay community shouldn't be so quick to decide what people can and cannot do, i still remember the gay couple who made a huge deal out of being denied service at a religious bakery, seriously why would you go to a place you know has beliefs that go against your lifestyle. Its crazy and this is why its being fought with more craziness.

It wasn't a religious bakery, it was a bakery run by people who turned out to be religious

There are more then one case but the one i am talking about was a cater/baker who refused to cater to a gay couples marriage.

But let me ask you this in cases where personal and religious values and beliefs are in play, where does the freedom to practice religion end and equal treatment under the law begin?

When you open a business dealing with the public

Ok, i kinda agree with you.

I do however still believe that as long as no law was broken, and as i remember this case there wasn´t any charges brought against the couple, that they have the right as it says under the law to refuse service.

Right to refuse service does not cover discrimination of protected classes

10 years ago

Nocturnal-Gamer

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#154 Edited By Nocturnal-Gamer

Member since 2013 • 25 Posts

I am a Catholic, my religion is against homosexuals. However, I don't like this bill. I think that gays have been abused enough as it is, and when things finally seemed like they were progressing in the world, this bill comes along and screws it up again. All of the stupid stereotypes will come back, and new ones to go along with it. This is a mess, I'm ashamed of America for not only bullying gays, but for forgetting the roots that it came from.

Just pathetic.

10 years ago