Tune in now as Indiana State Senators hold a hearing on two so-called LGBT protections bills that actually enable discrimination for religious reasons.
An Indiana State Senate committee today very quickly killed SB66, a sweeping anti-gay bill that would repeal and replace last year’s RFRA, a “religious freedom” bill that drew national outrage.
Right now, the senators again are hearing two bills that purport to protect LGBT people but, as Lambda Legal states, “are ‘Super RFRAs’ that would facilitate religious discrimination.”
The religious exemptions in SB 100 and SB 344 are broader than the religious refusal law passed last spring that has marked Indiana as a state of intolerance, tarnished the state’s reputation, and deprived it of convention revenue. As the nation witnessed, legalizing discrimination drives away business and hurts Indiana companies that are trying to attract and retain talent. Hoosiers deserve better.
More via Lambda Legal:
“SB 100 fails to adequately protect transgender people from discrimination and SB 344 fails to protect transgender people altogether,” “bills would erode local authority to protect people from discrimination through municipal and county ordinances,” and “would permit publicly funded discrimination by social service agencies.”
“SB 100 and SB 344 would permit businesses to refuse to serve same-sex couples celebrating a wedding or anniversary.”
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Watch live now, here, and stay tuned to NCRM for updates and future reporting.
Also follow along on Twitter via Hashtag #SB344.
UPDATE I: 5:16 PM EST –
Also, Joe.My.God. notes Baronelle Stutzman and the Sweetcakes by Melissa bakers, Aaron and Melissa Klein, are in the audience and may speak.
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