Arkansas legislators put to test with amended non-discrimination bill

With the passage of SB 202 in Arkansas set to go into effect later this year the state, which until recently was ironically known as the ‘Land of Opportunity,’  will effectively bar local communities from enacting anti-discrimination laws. The purpose, its proponents argue, is to level the playing field on civil rights and ensure uniformity exists between state, county and city laws.

Or so say Rep. Bob Ballinger, (R, Hindsville) and Sen. Bart Hester, (R, Cave Springs) who authored the “Conscience Protection Act,” (HB 1228), a seemingly innocuous measure but ultimately designed to justify discrimination against the LGBTQ community. After all, the ACLU of Arkansas correctly notes, “The Constitution already protects freedom of religion.”

But with critical reaction both severe and swift, proponents have argued that defenders of equality can always introduce their own legislation. The Arkansas Times is reporting: “Today, Rep. Greg Leding filed HB 1959, which adds four words to the state civil rights law to prohibit discrimination in employment, public accommodations, property transactions, credit or the political process on grounds of “sexual orientation, gender identity.” The law already protects in cases of race, religion, national origin or disabilities.

Following the news, Tippi McCullough, president of Stonewall Democratic Caucus of Arkansas issued the following statement yesterday:

The Arkansas Stonewall Democratic Caucus is proud that a brave legislator, Rep. Greg Leding, has responded to ours and the community’s call to present HB 1950 to amend the Arkansas Civil Rights Act to add five simple words: sexual orientation and gender identity.

After the introduction of SB 202 which passed and HB 1228, the Stonewall Democratic Caucus rallied to host a town meeting made up of a panel of legislators to discuss and educate the public on the two discriminatory bills. Two hundred people showed up on a Sunday afternoon in extremely rainy and cold weather to participate in the discussion.

Arkansas is experiencing a time where the LGBT community continues to face discriminatory bills being introduced and passed. A time where only one city in Arkansas has a non- discrimination ordinance which will be moot after Act 137 goes into effect. Basically a time where LGBT Arkansans feel not only disenfranchised and unequal but also targeted by legislation that ensures no legal recourse when discriminated against. In the rest of the country, thirty seven states have legalized gay marriage, over 300 Republican leaders have endorsed gay marriage, and polls continue to show that a majority of Americans believe that gay marriage should be legal. Many successful cities such as Orlando, Shreveport, Starkville, Atlanta and Dallas have passed non-discrimination ordinances that have helped their city’s businesses grow and be successful. The vast majority of Fortune 500 companies have also joined the fight for equality by adopting LGBT non-discrimination policies including Apple and Walmart who have also spoken out against discriminatory bills such as SB 202. Poll after poll shows America’s support of not just gay marriage but of gay rights, yet in Arkansas the LGBT community is under attack.

The South must not go through another time of discrimination. We were soberly reminded Saturday of another struggle as many walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama to commemorate the “Bloody Sunday” march of 1965. It is our hope that Arkansas continues to progress into a state that is welcoming and accepting of all people regardless of “race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability…….”

Thank you, Representative Greg Leding for bravely stepping forward and giving us the hope of a better day where not only will all Arkansans be viewed as equal but will also be treated equally in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.