Despite Actions of a Handful of Religious Leaders - TN Set to Pass LGBTQ Discrimination Bills

[MineralMan]

https://www.freedomforallamericans.org/tennessee-lawmakers-pursue-sweeping-slate-of-anti-lgbtq-legislation/

Tennessee Lawmakers Pursue Sweeping Slate of Anti-LGBTQ Legislation

March 4, 2019 • 9:47 am
NASHVILLE — Tennessee could become the first state in the nation to pass anti-LGBTQ legislation this year, including the next generation of North Carolina’s highly controversial HB2 which opened the door to harassment of transgender people in public places. Tennessee lawmakers are hastily pursuing a slew of anti-LGBTQ bills in hearings taking place this week, including legislation that could lead to harassment of transgender people in public places, undermine the freedom to marry for same-sex couples, and allow businesses and adoption agencies a broad license to discriminate against LGBTQ people, among others. This legislation is at high risk of moving quickly: three of these bills will be heard in committee starting tomorrow.

“These six bills attack our marriages, ability to form families, exist in public spaces, and they even undermine our ability to advocate with our own city governments for protection against discrimination,” said Chris Sanders, executive director of Tennessee Equality Project. “All of them strike at the dignity of LGBTQ people in Tennessee. Adopting any of them would do lasting damage. Religious leaders in our state have spoken out against these bills and called us to work for basic fairness. That’s a project all Tennesseans can get behind.”

“A small group of Tennessee lawmakers appear bound and determined to advance an anti-LGBTQ agenda that is out of step with Tennessee values,” said Kasey Suffredini, President of Strategy for Freedom for All Americans. “These bills target the marriages, families, and basic welfare of Tennesseans’ neighbors, family members, and friends who happen to be LGBTQ. We’ve seen time and again that discrimination comes at a high cost, and Tennessee can’t afford the economic consequences. We urge Tennessee lawmakers to reject state-sponsored discrimination and stop these attacks on LGBTQ people and their families.”

The anti-LGBTQ bills may be a preview of a new wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation. Two of the six Tennessee bills (HB 1152 and HB 836) create a license to discriminate for taxpayer-funded adoption and foster care services to refuse to place children with qualified, loving families, if the family doesn’t share all of the agency’s religious beliefs. Similar laws are already on the books in ten states – five of which just passed in the last two years. Several additional states are considering similar bills this year. HB 1151 would seek to accomplish a similar goal of anti-transgender legislation in years past by putting transgender people at risk of being arrested – with up to a year of jail time – simply for using a restroom or locker room consistent with who they are.

More at the link, including descriptions of the current bills under consideration...

Once again, Tennessee appears ready to enact discriminatory legislation to remove or limit LGBTQ rights. Despite the efforts of some religious and secular groups, the bills are advancing in the legislature.

[RKP5637]

1. K&R Some just love hatred and persecution. A total WTF in the 21st century! n/t

[marylandblue]

2. Come on now, let's not let failure be the enemy of the good.

The important thing is that 100 out of thousands of clerics opposed the bills. It doesn't matter if the legislature passes the bills anyway.

[Major Nikon]

3. Religion can't possibly be to blame because the Boston Atheists were mean to a Trump supporter

...which proves that intolerance is simply a human condition and does not require religion.

[MineralMan]

5. Many people oppose these bills. Sadly, the majority of people in Tennessee

does not. It's good that a group of clergy people oppose them. They join with thousands of others, both religious and non-religious, in that opposition, and that's a good thing, to be sure.

However, the fact that some opponents are from the clergy has nothing to do with the success or failure of those discriminatory bills. Far more from every group of people support the bills, in a state that is overwhelmingly red.

It's nice that a small group of clergy are in opposition and that they are publicly stating their opposition. LGBTQ people in Tennessee, in far larger numbers oppose the bills as well. No doubt some of them are atheists or do not participate in religion. Tennessee has a minority of humanists among its population. They oppose the bills, as well.

Sadly, far more are encouraging such legislation to be enacted, and the good intentions of those who are in opposition to them are very likely to be overwhelmed. Some of the bills may well violate federal constitutional principles, and could be vulnerable to being overturned by federal courts. Supporting legal action against such bills will have far more impact than simply stating opposition.

This is not just a religious issue, even though a majority of evangelical and fundamentalist Christian clergy and congregations are in support of such discrimination. It is, undeniably, a human issue, which affects the religion and non-religious among LGBTQ people and supporters of human rights. Religion is not particularly relevant here, although it is good to see some Christian clergy voicing their opposition.

[Mariana]

4. I suspect there were far more religious leaders

in favor of this hateful legislation in Tennessee, than there were opposed to it.

[Cartoonist]

6. Religious leaders?

Aren't they the ones responsible for this? Aren't they the ones who quote the Bible as the reason for this hate?

[MineralMan]

7. Not all relgious leaders and clergy members are anti-LGBTQ, of course.

Over 100 publicly oppose this Tennessee legislation. That group joins many others in opposition, and that's a good thing. Why more do not join in this, I do not know. I do not live in Tennessee, so I have no reliable way to gauge the opinions of the religious in that state. I do know that many Christian right preachers rail against LGBTQ people from their pulpits, in Tennessee and elsewhere. Religious belief, in general, seems to have little relevance to opinions about those issues.

For example, the Roman Catholic Church in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, where I live, spent millions of dollars fighting the passage of same-sex marriage laws here, while at the same time fighting against revealing information about Minnesota priests who had sexually abused children. Clearly, religion, in itself, is no guarantee of proper moral and ethical behavior.

[LonePirate]

8. Dems need to start publicly calling out these Repubs as bigots and out of step with current reality.

[edhopper]

9. Boycott Tennessee

only way to make them wake up. Hit the whole damn State in the pocket book.