The Republican National Committee (RNC) has passed an anti-LGBT resolution in support of the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA). Going far beyond protecting the rights established in the First Amendment, this anti-LGBT legislation would undermine the rule of law and promote taxpayer-funded discrimination.
FADA would prohibit any adverse action by the federal government against an individual or organization for discriminatory actions against legally married same-sex couples as long as they claim they are acting in accordance with their religious beliefs. “Adverse action” is broadly defined to include the denial or revocation of a federal tax status or deduction; denial of a federal grant, contract, loan, benefit or employment; or any other act of discrimination. The bill provides individuals and organizations the right to sue the federal government for monetary damages in federal court.
If passed, this legislation would create a breakdown of government services and runaway litigation. It would permit a federal employee, for example, to refuse to process tax returns, visa applications or Social Security checks whenever a same-sex couple’s paperwork appears on his or her desk.
This legislation would also permit recipients of federal grants and contracts, including those for social services programs like homeless shelters and substance abuse treatment programs, to turn away LGBT people. It allows any of these individuals or groups, or anyone else who believes they have been somehow required by the federal government to approve of married same-sex couples, to file a lawsuit and potentially receive damages from taxpayer money.
“The right to believe is fundamental, but the right to use taxpayer dollars to promote discrimination is not,” said JoDee Winterhof, senior vice president for Policy and Political Affairs for the Human Rights Campaign. “It’s no wonder the RNC attempted to keep quiet its support for a reckless and irresponsible bill that would promote discrimination with taxpayers’ money and reward discriminatory actions by federal employees with taxpayer funding. Those Republican candidates who choose not to speak out against this RNC resolution should not be shocked when LGBT Americans choose to not give them the benefit of the doubt next November.”
this article is unclear on some points. It actually PASSED??? as in it’s active at this very moment? or it was just introduced?
Also, we need a list of names of the people that voted this in, so we know how to punish them with our votes in November.
It’s a resolution, so essentially it is a plank in the Republican platform.
The RNC is not a part of congress, so it has no legal power. They are setting their stance for the upcoming Presidential election, which I can only suppose is intentionally meant to drive the party even further into the dust.
First Amendment Defense Act (S. 1598, H.R. 2802), introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Representative Raúl Labrador (R-ID).
No, it didn’t pass yet, it wasn’t just introduced. It’s still in limbo. Many bills are in this state for a long time. as for who voted, not surprised. I’d say, don’t vote republican, and you’ll do fine staying away from it.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/2802/cosponsors
this should cover all the pertinent information regarding the bill and sponsers
Thanks for the link
Resolutions are dime a dozen and are to keep fringe groups happy but keep them ineffective and most usually never make it to a official Party platform but the article lacks real needed data.
I think what we’re moving in the direction of with the crazier and crazier RNC being driven to utter lunacy, is a Republication National Convention to rival the one held in 1996 which is known to most older LGBT Americans as “The RNC Convention in San Diego when the RNC went off the deep end and embraced The Dark Side.” It was an example of the pendulum swinging as far right as it could possibly go, normal American of all types seeing the hate, the fear the obstruction of that convention, and then everyone seeing as the pendulum slowly began to move opposite toward the light … slowly, as it always does. The clowns now running for the Republican ticket will probably be a tiny memory. The real candidate might be the religious right’s actual anti-christ, especially as they would believe his every lie. So we’re just gonna kick the can down the road for a few more years. Rebublicans losing disastrously in many, many races this time, and a caretaker Democratic ticket getting a chance to make things more normal for 4 or hopefully 8 years.
Really it was 1992 with Pat Buchanan’s “Culture War” line in the sand.
What I get from it is that it’s now part of the RNC party platform. They can stick anything they want into their party platform……doesn’t mean it’s going to pass. The only way something like that would have any chance of passing, would be to have a Republican in the White House and we all know that’s not going to happen.
This is the RNC – creating their party platform, not actual legislation. Still insidious – but so Republican. Simple solution: don’t vote for the asshats.
All this is saying that businesses dont have to sell their services to the LGBT if they “know” your gay, lesbian, ect.. So just dont announce your gay, ect when your needing their services. Until after the wedding or ceremony just send that business a Thank You card with their cake or whatever that they made for you in the back ground while you and your partner kissing. They dont need to know we are LGBT until after we bought and recieved their product we are asking for. There are all kinds of ways to throw this back into their faces if they want to be so childish about it. If they want to practice their religious beliefs than half if not most of their business would be ran away due to adulterers, murderers, rapists, theifs, ect.. Pathetic how they want to punish once sin thats only in the old testimont, but want to ignore all other sins that mean more in the New testimont. Ignorant.
Yes, they DO need to know. Regardless of how this is disguised, it’s not about religious freedom. This is anti-lgbt discrimination, plain and simple. And going back in the closet, even if it’s only “until after the wedding” is not the way to fight it.
I will leave this country before I go back in the closet.
Um…So, no shopping with your partner, no holding hands when attempting to relieve homelessness at the local shelter..I understand your point, but telling me I need to hide my sexuality only to line the pockets of organizations who hate me for part of my life which is none of their business, and has no effect on the business at hand? Nah. I will say this: If this were ever to become law (and it likely will not) I’d still choose to take my business to “family-owned” businesses. The PROBLEM is that it allows for denial of service for federal grants and services- and money in the pocket of the hater- which by the way, comes out of the chunk you see missing every two weeks from your paycheck. Read up. This is really, really a trash plank in the platform. Best idea? STOMP THROUGH IT.
I am probably one of the gayest gays this side of the Mississippi River (I’m just West of it). To play devil’s advocate. One of the Orlando Shooters old colleagues said Omar spewed racial, sexist, and other bigoted slurs but wasn’t fired because he was Muslim. While there is no way to prove that…I’m hearing those same comments from people giving insight to Omar.
My question: if a Muslim said he refused to process anything for a married gay couple because Islam condemns homosexuality (and high majority believe homosexuality should be illegal)…what would ur reaction be?
Wow. What a great question, Samson. So playing Devil’s Advocate, isn’t that that same thing these so-called “Christian” haters are saying? My own personal reaction is that it’s all BS and the proverbial ship has sailed. Get on board or eventually drown in your own backward thinking.
The Orlando Memorial act
People, everywhere, please vote these scumbags out of office. You actually have to physically get up and make the effort and vote when the time comes.
The party of hate.
The RNC is clearly the tool of the devil. I am embarrassed to have ever
been there or to have shared lunch with a young lawyer named Clarence Thomas in the downstairs on-site restaurant prior to his nomination to the US Supreme Court.
Lunch with evil has wrought these problems to our precious United States!
Hypocrites hypocrites hypocrites hypocrites hypocrites shame on you Rience pribus you know better you’ve lost every chance in the world of me ever voting Republican again
Evil. Evil. Evil. It is shameless. It is pandering. It reeks to the sky. Is it any wonder that those who are mentally troubled feel empowered to destroy others’ lives?
Anyone that is a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender does NOT have any right to push their sinful, disgusting lifestyle on anyone else.
Anyone that chooses to be a Club Christian, Christian, Islam, any of the superstition cults, do NOT have the right to push their ignorant superstitious lifestyle on anyone else. Instead of messing up the world, why don’t you creepy people go fight each other about whose dogma is right. I’m sure Spielberg could write a fitting story to match your primate like lifestyles.
I’m bisexual. I don’t push that on ANYONE! HOWEVER, religitards are always trying to push their gods on me! Just live and let live Scott. For fucks sake.
I’m confused. In the 2nd paragraph it reads, “FADA would prohibit any “adverse action” by the Federal Government against any individual or organization for discriminatory actions against any legally married same-sex couple, as long as they claim they are acting in accordance with their religious beliefs.
It then gives the definition of “adverse actions”.
So, then it’s basically saying (If I can take out all the “legaleze”) that the government won’t arrest anyone that refuses to honor the rights given same-sex, legally married couples, as long as the person refusing to do so, is doing it because it violates their own religious convictions. Do I have that right?
So what prevents someone else in the same office from stepping in and taking care of the couple?
I get that it is discrimination. But, I also know that everyone still has a right to follow their own religious convictions. Example: What would happen if a same-sex couple were in a church that didn’t believe in heterosexual marriage? By rights, you shouldn’t have to go against your religion and give that couple a “marriage certificate” (for example) either! And that should be able to be upheld by the Constitution. If not, then it’s legal discrimination!
So long as it’s fair all the way around. No problem. But, you got to call it the same for everyone! That’s what’s suppose to make this country so great.
There’s so much wrong in your comment.
“So what prevents someone else in the same office from stepping in and taking care of the couple?”
Suppose there aren’t others willing to step in? Or the boss is the bigot in question and doesn’t let ANYONE in the office service them? That’s EXACTLY what happened in the case of the homophobic KY county clerk. In small towns, there may BE no one willing to serve a gay person. And why should the couple have to put up with the shame of being refused service for a legal request?
“everyone still has a right to follow their own religious convictions” – Actually, no, if you’re hired to service the public, especially as a taxpayer-paid public servant, you don’t. When you’re a public servant, you represent the government, and the government has to treat all citizens the same. The Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment guarantees that, and the government, through its employees, cannot pick and choose how it treats its clients. If an employee or even business owner doesn’t want to do that, they have an easy solution: find another job where their religious prejudices don’t affect others.
“What would happen if a same-sex couple were in a church that didn’t believe in heterosexual marriage” – this is all mixed up. First, I’ll assume you meant “didn’t believe in homosexual marriage” because otherwise your comment makes no sense at all. Aside from that, though, a church is not a public accommodation and they CAN legally discriminate on any basis at all – racial, ethnic, sexual, or sexual orientation. And that’s NOT where you go to get a “marriage certificate” – a marriage certificate is a legal contract (document) you get from a government institution (where I live, the county courthouse, for instance). This idea that gay couples will be going to churches and demanding to be married there is a complete fiction spread by religious homophobes to frighten their naive religious members. According to the minister that “married” us, we were legally married the moment we signed the marriage document, regardless of our ceremony.
“So long as it’s fair all the way around” It’s not. LGBTQs are a minority, and the idea that if they discriminate against straight, cis-gendered people, that is the same as the massive discrimination that occurs against them is absurd. If I, as a straight white guy, wasn’t served by someone because of religious discrimination, I can easily find someone to service me. But a member of a small minority will find it much less easy to do so. If this plank became law, it will happen far more often to them because of their minority status than it would happen to me.
How about we “call it the same for everyone” – we treat everyone with respect, do our jobs, and don’t let our own biases interfere?
Oh, and one more thing:
“government won’t arrest anyone that refuses to honor the rights given same-sex, legally married couples” – if someone can legally refuse to honor those “rights”, they aren’t “rights” at all, they’re privileges that can be denied at the whim of anyone who wishes to do so.
I agree and you said it very respectfully!
Great perspective!!!
I am a hetero sexual and we the people put u in office to listen to us not the other way around. Reverse your decision, we will not stand for your bullshit anymore….. I served my country honorably 1970 ‘ tour and a 9 / 11 responder. We will not listen to your fuckin rules, u listen to ours.You traitors of the United States need to be removed from office……
AMEN buddy, Amen. I served in the USAF and flew many of those assholes all over this world in the 12 1/2 years I served, now I am treated like a second class citizen just because I am legally married to my man. What goes on behind my closed doors is MY business not any of there’s I have had it with these two faced bastards !!!!
It does not matter whether they have the power to instigate this, what matters is that they would even do this. I left my Republican supportive voiting in 1996 because i no longer recognized the party. This has nothing to do with fiscal responsibility and everything to do with getting right wing social conservatives to vote Republican. They have let us know who is important to them, and they have made a huge mistake. Barry Goldwater was right, you can not work with evangelical social conservatives, there is no compromise with them. I fit in neither party, but have no choice, the Republicans continue to let me know they do not want me. !!!!!!!!!!!
Little by Little, Day by Day, they have pushed my inter feelings away from the Republican Party all together. I am so sick and tired of the “Good Ol Boy Club” two faced Republicans that are truly showing there ass. Huckaby, and his Queen in Kentucky and now many of the other hidden ASSHOLES. They have all been in the Closet as far I am concerned. Until they can treat “ALL Humans” as EQUAL HUMANS, they can Kiss My Ass !!!!!
I am a hetero sexual and i say do not listen to the RNC we the people will just have to take our country back from these morons that are in office…… This is the Land of the Free ….. LGBT can be married, have insurance on each other and collect on it. Can not be refused on anything being an American ….. DO NOT LISTEN <<<< ENOUGH is ENOUGH ……..