Connect with us

GOP Platform Committee (Accidentally) Endorses Discrimination Against Married Opposite Sex Couples

Published

on

Republican Lawmakers Secretly Amend Anti-Gay First Amendment Defense Act, Forget To Tell Platform Committee

Lawmakers Neglect to Tell Top Advocates Including NOM, Catholic Church, GOP Platform Committee They Changed the First Amendment Defense Act

On Tuesday the GOP Platform Committee finalized the draft of the 2016 GOP platform, including a provision that calls for the passage of the First Amendment Defense Act.

Thirteen months ago, days before the Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage is a constitutional right, Republican Senator Mike Lee (photo, center) and Republican Congressman Raul Labrador (photo, right) introduced the First Amendment Defense Act. FADA, as it’s known, was designed to allow anti-gay people, groups, organizations, and businesses to ignore the law and discriminate against same-sex couples and LGBT people merely by claiming their religious beliefs require them to do so. 

FADA was introduced June 17, 2015.

It has been dormant ever since. No hearing. No debate. Nothing, until this week, when its sponsors changed the text, and, for some unknown reason (partisan politics) the House Oversight Committee held a hearing on the bill that has never had a hearing. That hearing, coincidentally, was scheduled days after the Orlando mass shooting that left 49 people in a gay bar dead. It was scheduled for the one month anniversary of that anti-LGBT hate crime/mass shooting/terror attack.

The original bill reads, in part:

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Federal Government shall not take any discriminatory action against a person, wholly or partially on the basis that such person believes or acts in accordance 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.

[Bolding ours]

For reasons unknown, although likely because the bill is clearly unconstitutional, Labrador and Lee changed the text of the bill to this:

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Federal Government shall not take any discriminatory action against a person, wholly or partially on the basis that such person believes, speaks, or acts in accordance with a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction that—

(1) marriage is or should be recognized as the union of—

(A) two individuals of the opposite sex; or

(B) two individuals of the same sex; or

(2) extramarital relations are improper. 

[Bolding ours]

They also didn’t bother to tell anyone that their bill now allows people and companies to discriminate against those who believe marriage is only the union of two individuals of the same sex.

For example, a small business owner under FADA could fire someone after learning they had just been married to someone of the opposite sex, if they claim to have a sincerely held belief that marriage is only the union of two individuals of the same sex.

The Family Research Council found out, and after heavily advocating for FADA, today pulled their support.

The change itself is, as Box Turtle Bulletin’s Jim Burroway notes, “a sham and a pretty bizarre one at that… Because, you know, there are tons of people that strongly disagree with the Supreme Court ruling upholding marriage equality for opposite-sex couples, right?” 

The bill is still (likely) unconstitutional. 

Amusingly, having not noticed the change, the GOP Platform Committee,  the National Organization For Marriage (NOM) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops are still heavily advocating for the bill.

WATCH: Hero Jim Obergefell Tells House Republicans Why First Amendment Defense Act Is Discriminatory

Tuesday night, after the change was made, NOM President Brian Brown wrote: “I’ve got some great news: A critical committee of the US House of Representatives today held a pivotal hearing on the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), setting the stage for it to move forward to the full House!”

(That’s of course so false it’s embarrassing. There was no vote, the bill was assigned the House Ways and Means Committee, not the House Oversight Committee, and there’s been neither a hearing nor a vote scheduled.)

And the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) posted this glowing endorsement Tuesday as well:

Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, issued the following statement:

Today the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing on the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA). The USCCB has been vocal in support of this legislation, as it would provide a measure of protection for religious freedom at the federal level. FADA is a modest but important step in ensuring conscience protection to faith-based organizations and people of all faiths and of no faith who believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, protecting them from discrimination by the federal government. The increasing intolerance toward religious belief and belief in the conjugal meaning of marriage makes these protections essential for continuing faith-based charitable work, which supports the common good of our society. Faith-based agencies and schools should not lose their licenses or accreditation simply because they hold reasonable views on marriage that differ from the federal government’s view.

The First Amendment Defense Act is likely unconstitutional, definitely immoral, and wholly unnecessary. That its sponsors would play fast and loose with its text days before a hearing on it shows it’s nothing more than a fundraising tool for them.

It will never become law, at least as long as a Democrat holds the White House.

EARLIER:

GOP Platform Committee Votes to Support Anti-LGBT ‘Religious Freedom’ First Amendment Defense Act

‘Enough is Enough’: House GOP Leaders Set to Piss on Graves of Orlando Victims

Anti-LGBT Activist Group Pushing Congress to Pass Sweeping First Amendment ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill

 

Image: Screenshot via YouTube

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment
 
 

Enjoy this piece?

… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.

NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.

Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.

News

Tennessee Governor Slammed After ‘Praying’ for Nashville School Community Without Mentioning Mass Shooting

Published

8 hours ago

on

March 27, 2023

By

Governor Bill Lee quickly drew tremendous outrage in the wake of a school mass shooting where six people including three young children were shot to death. Social media users criticized the Tennessee Republican, who had signed a permit-less gun carry law, for declaring he was “praying for the school, congregation & Nashville community,” without posting any mention of the mass shooting.

Tweeting he was “closely monitoring the tragic situation at Covenant,” Gov. Lee said, “As we continue to respond, please join us in praying for the school, congregation & Nashville community.”

There was no mention of any loss of life, and, as Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts passionately noted, the “situation” was a mass shooting.

“If thoughts and prayers alone worked to stop gun violence, there wouldn’t have been a shooting at a Christian elementary school. It’s your actions – including weakening the state’s gun laws – that’s killing kids in Tennessee,” Watts also tweeted. “SHAME ON YOU.”

Gov. Lee signed a permit-less carry bill into law in 2021, at a Beretta gun manufacturing plant.

According to the CDC, as of 2020 – one year before the permit-less carry bill was signed into law – Tennessee ranked tenth in the nation in per-capita firearm mortality.

READ MORE: ‘Our Children Deserve Better’: First Lady Jill Biden Speaks Out After Six Die in Nashville School Mass Shooting

Meanwhile, others took notice of the gun culture Gov. Lee has fostered in “The Volunteer State.”

MSNBC analyst and Bulwark writer Tim Miller commented, “Tennessee governor Bill Lee issued a statement recently about how the drag ban in Tennessee ‘protects children.’ If only he would have instead focused on laws that might have prevented the mass murder of children in his state today.”

Historian Kevin Kruse pointed to an article from last year, after the Uvalde, Texas school shooting, titled: “Rep. Clemmons Seeks Renewed Gun Laws, Gov. Lee Requests Prayer.”

“You chose prayer over gun reforms last year after the Uvalde massacre,” Kruse wrote. “And now here we are.”

The progressive website Tennessee Holler pointed out that Gov. Lee, along with GOP lawmakers, “just appointed Jordan Mollenhour to the [state] board of education— whose company was sued for selling ammo to an underage mass killer (SANTA FE) and sold ammo to at least one more (AURORA) He has ZERO education experience.”

Let’s Give a Damn founder Nick Laparra tweeted, “We are 86 days into 2023. So far, 9859 people have died by gun violence and there have been 128 mass shootings. Meanwhile, @GovBillLee spends his days being outraged over drag queens and CRT and book bans. This is Bill Lee’s and the GOP’s fault.”

See the tweets and video above or at this link.

READ MORE: New WSJ Poll Is Devastating for DeSantis and His ‘Anti-Woke’ Policies

 

 

 

Continue Reading

News

Mystery Grand Jury Witness in Trump Hush Money Probe Is Former ‘Enquirer’ Publisher and Trump Ally

Published

9 hours ago

on

March 27, 2023

By

Avid followers of the Manhattan District Attorney’s moves noted the grand jury had been called into service for Monday, and soon news leaked that yet another witness would be testifying in the probe into Donald Trump’s alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.

Monday afternoon, NBC News’ Garrett Haake reported live on MSNBC that the mystery witness was David Pecker, the former tabloid publisher of the “National Enquirer,” who reportedly had been looking for stories in 2016 to protect Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Haake notes Monday was Pecker’s second appearance before the grand jury in the hush money case.

The New York Times also reported David Pecker as the grand jury witness, calling Pecker “a key player in the hush-money matter. He and the tabloid’s top editor helped broker the deal between the porn star, Stormy Daniels, and Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s fixer at the time.”

READ MORE: ‘Our Children Deserve Better’: First Lady Jill Biden Speaks Out After Six Die in Nashville School Mass Shooting

“While the focus of Mr. Pecker’s testimony is unclear, he could provide valuable information for prosecutors. A longtime ally of Mr. Trump, he agreed to keep an eye out for potentially damaging stories about Mr. Trump during the 2016 campaign,” The Times reports. “For a brief time in October 2016, Ms. Daniels appeared to have just that kind of story. Her agent and lawyer discussed the possibility of selling exclusive rights to her story of a sexual encounter with Mr. Trump to The National Enquirer, which would then promise to never publish it, a practice known as ‘catch and kill.'”

Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Harry Litman weighed in, noting, “nothing about that decision [to have Pecker testify] suggests any change of heart on Bragg’s part to indict Trump.”

Former Dept. of Defense Special Counsel Ryan Goodman, an NYU professor of law, notes that Pecker’s “testimony can show the [hush money] scheme was designed to affect outcome of election.”

“He reportedly communicated directly with Trump on payment,” Goodman adds.

Continue Reading

News

‘Our Children Deserve Better’: First Lady Jill Biden Speaks Out After Six Die in Nashville School Mass Shooting

Published

11 hours ago

on

March 27, 2023

By

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, speaking Monday afternoon at a National League of Cities conference, told attendees, “Our children deserve better,” as she broke the news of the Nashville school mass shooting at Covenant Presbyterian School where three children and three adults were shot dead.

“You know,” Dr. Biden, herself an educator and clearly pained by the news, began her remarks by saying, “I hate to say what I’m gonna say next because you know you’re so enthusiastic and with so much energy and hope and I feel it.”

“But while you’ve been in this room, I don’t know whether you’ve been on your phones but we just learned about another shooting in Tennessee, a school shooting and I am truly without words and our children deserve better, and we stand – all of us – we stand with Nashville in prayer.”

READ MORE: New WSJ Poll Is Devastating for DeSantis and His ‘Anti-Woke’ Policies

The First Lady, a former public high school English teacher and currently a professor of English at a community college, was speaking at the organization’s Congressional City Conference.

Watch Dr. Biden below or at this link.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2020 AlterNet Media.