A Month After The Pulse Shootings Congress Debates An Anti-LGBT Bill

Today marks a month since the shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando; a month since the deadliest mass shooing in our nation’s history and the worst attack on LGBT Americans; and how is our Congress honoring those killed?

Well, today  a House committee will hold a hearing on the homophobic so-called First Amendment Defense Act [FADA].

The bill would create a national "religious discrimination" law to allow businesses and government workers to refuse goods and services to customers who offend their religious sensibilities … like The Gays. This bill specifically allows people with a "religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage" to turn away same-sex couples hoping to wed. In addition, because Hate tries to cover all the bases, the bill would make it impossible for those persecuted LGBT Americans to petition the federal government when they experience “religious” discrimination.

Jim Obergefell, whose lawsuit for recognition of his marriage to the late John Arthur resulted in the legalization of marriage equality, will testify against the bill, said this:

“The Orlando tragedy on June 12 was a time of heartbreak for millions around the world and the worst attack on the LGBT community in our nation’s history. Today, exactly one month after this horrifying event, this hearing is deeply hurtful to a still-grieving LGBT community. It is difficult for me to imagine why anyone would think such discrimination should be permitted in the year 2016. I believe that the United States Congress must be better than this and it is my sincere hope that Congress will move away from elevating proposals that only serve to harm vulnerable communities.”

The bill’s authors — anti-LGBT Republicans because … of course — Idaho Congressman Raúl Labrador of Idaho and Utah Senator Mike Lee of Utah — refer to the bill as a "defense" of the First Amendment.

Yeah, um, that’s a lie because, and let me make this perfectly queer, the First Amendment does not allow religious people to arbitrarily discriminate against those they don't like, or so says the Supreme Court. Fifty years ago when right-wing Christians tried to refuse services to interracial couples, the Supreme Court ruled that religious beliefs don't trump the rights of others.

So, those in Congress who think their religious beliefs supersede the religious beliefs, or non-religious beliefs of anyone else in this country are wrong. But whether or not FADA passes out of this committee or not, the fact that the GOP chose today to hold these hearings, when many of us are still grieving those killed and those wounded in Orlando, is an affront to the LGBT community.

And further proof, as if we needed any, that the GOP will do nothing for us.

The Advocate