Lawmaker Delivers Mind-Bending Series Of Arguments Against LGBT Protection
He argued that businesses should be able to “make it known” if they don’t want to serve gay or transgender people.
The post Lawmaker Delivers Mind-Bending Series Of Arguments Against LGBT Protection appeared first on ThinkProgress.
thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/03/28/3763918/bill-kintner-lgbt-comments/
philadelphia #philly #igers #igersphilly #igers_philly #visitphilly…
someguyinphilly posted a photo:
#philly #igers #igersphilly #igers_philly #visitphilly…”>
#philly #igers #igersphilly #igers_philly #visitphilly…”>
#philadelphia #philly #igers #igersphilly #igers_philly #visitphilly #phillygram #phillyscape #phillychurch #church #lgbtchurch #lgbt #lookup #lookupphl #avenueofthearts #architecture
56 Likes on Instagram
Georgia Governor Announces Veto Of Anti-LGBT ‘Religious Liberty’ Bill
“I do not think we have to discriminate against anyone to protect the faith-based communities of Georgia… Georgia is a welcoming state. It is full of loving, kind, and generous people. And that’s what we should want.”
The post Georgia Governor Announces Veto Of Anti-LGBT ‘Religious Liberty’ Bill appeared first on ThinkProgress.
thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/03/28/3763902/georgia-veto-anti-lgbt/
Following Backlash From Across the Country, Georgia Gov. Will Veto Discriminatory Anti-LGBT Bill
Following weeks of pressure from the Human Rights Campaign and Georgia Equality, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal will veto H.B. 757, a deeply discriminatory bill that passed the state legislature. The legislation, which sparked a massive backlash of opposition from a broad array of civil rights groups and leaders in Hollywood and corporate America, would have weakened local non-discrimination protections, allowed businesses to discriminate and deny service to LGBT people, and explicitly empowered discrimination by taxpayer-funded religious organizations.
Deal’s veto comes one week after HRC President Chad Griffin called on Hollywood to stop productions in Georgia if Deal refused to veto the legislation at HRC’s Los Angeles Gala. Soon after, many of the biggest entertainment companies in the world responded to the call — including 21st Century Fox, AMC Networks, CBS Corp., Comcast NBCUniversal, Lionsgate, Live Nation, MGM, Netflix, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Starz, The Walt Disney Co., Time Warner, The Weinstein Company and Viacom. And more than thirty leading actors, directors, producers, musicians, and agents signed HRC’s letter demanding that he veto the proposal.
“The message to Governor Nathan Deal was loud and clear: this deplorable legislation was bad for his constituents, bad for business, and bad for Georgia’s future,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Discrimination and intolerance have no place in the 21st century, and any town, city, or state that enshrines it into law will not be judged kindly by history or by the American public. Thankfully, Governor Deal listened to the voices of Georgians, civil rights organizations, as well as the many leaders in the entertainment industry and in the private sector who strongly condemned this deplorable attack on the fundamental civil rights of LGBT people. We hope North Carolina’s Governor and General Assembly are paying close attention to what has transpired in Georgia, and that they undo their disgraceful attack on LGBT people in the state’s upcoming legislative session.”
According to the State of Georgia, which offers major tax incentives for entertainment companies to film in the state, at least 248 film and television productions were shot in Georgia during the state’s 2015 fiscal year. This resulted in at least $1.7 billion in direct spending as well as more than 100 new businesses relocating to or expanding in Georgia to support these activities. The only two states where the entertainment industry does more business — New York and California — already have a statewide LGBT non-discrimination provisions on the books. Georgia does not.
In addition to the entertainment industry’s leadership, corporate opposition to the discriminatory law in Georgia was overwhelming. It has included Apple, the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Falcons, the Atlanta Hawks, Cisco, Dell, the Dow Chemical Company, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Hilton, Intel, Intercontinental Hotels, Live Nation Entertainment, Marriott, MailChimp, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Microsoft, the NFL, Paypal, Salesforce, Square, Turner, Twitter, Unilever, Virgin, Yelp, and many others.
Gov. Deal will join South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard as the second Republican state executive to veto an anti-LGBT bill this month. Unfortunately, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, also a Republican, made history last week when he signed into law a radical measure that enshrined discrimination against LGBT North Carolinians into state law, forces transgender students in public schools to use restrooms and other facilities inconsistent with their gender identity, and eliminates the ability of cities and towns across the state from passing local ordinances to protect their residents from discrimination. In their push for the measure, proponents of the law spewed dangerous lies about transgender people accessing bathrooms.
Georgia is among a majority of states that lack explicit LGBT non-discrimination protections. Nonpartisan polling from Public Religion Research Institute released this year found that a majority of Georgians oppose allowing businesses to discriminate and deny service to LGBT people — only 37 percent support such a bill and 57 percent oppose. Georgians also reported that they support protecting LGBT people from discrimination in employment, housing and access to public services by an overwhelming 66-28 margin.
Prior to the veto, HRC and Georgia Unites delivered more than 75,000 email petitions to Georgia Governor Nathan Deal urging him to veto this legislation.
Working to stop such reckless and discriminatory legislation, HRC is proud to be fighting alongside local advocates as part of Georgia Unites Against Discrimination – a joint project of HRC and Georgia Equality dedicated to protecting LGBT Georgians from discrimination and ensuring that individuals and businesses aren’t able to use religious beliefs as an excuse to harm others.
'License to discriminate' bill in GA to be vetoed
GLAAD
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal has said that he will veto Georgia’s House Bill 757, which would have allowed any person or faith-based organization (including nonprofits, charities, schools, universities, and hospitals) to cite “religious beliefs” as justification to discriminate against others, including LGBT Georgians. House Bill 757 was quickly passed without warning on March 17.
“No one should face discrimination because of who they are or who they love,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “Today, Governor Deal stood on the right side of history and sent a clear message to the nation that hate is not a value of the Peach State. Other legislators must now take notice that corporate America, Hollywood, and everyday citizens demand acceptance and won’t tolerate writing discrimination into law.”
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports:
The measure “doesn’t reflect the character of our state or the character of its people,” the governor said Monday in prepared remarks. He said state legislators should leave freedom of religion and freedom of speech to the U.S. Constitution.
“Their efforts to purge this bill of any possibility that it would allow or encourage discrimination illustrates how difficult it is to legislate something that is best left to the broad protections of the First Amendment,” he said.
The two-term Republican has been besieged by all sides over the controversial measure, and his office has received thousands of emails and hundreds of calls on the debate. The tension was amplified by a steady stream of corporate titans who urged him to veto the bill – and threatened to pull investments from Georgia if it became law.
Thousands of people signed GLAAD’s petition, calling on Governor Deal to veto the bill.
Strong backlash to the bill came from LGBT leaders, and the business community, including Georgia’s growing entertainment industry. The NFL warned that Atlanta may not get a future Super Bowl bid if the bill was signed into law. Salesforce CEO, Marc Benioff warned that Salesforce will have to consider relocation if the bill was signed into law.
The response from celebrities and the companies that film in Georgia built steadily over the last week. Disney, Marvel, AMC Networks, Viacom, Time Warner, Sony, Lionsgate, 21st Century Fox, And The Weinstein Company all spoke out last week. Additionally, individual celebrities spoke out, including Tituss Burgess, Wilson Cruz, Chase Chrisley, Daniel Franzese, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Kat Graham.
Voices of North Carolina: The Transgender Community Speaks Out
This week, HRC is lifting up the voices of North Carolinians whose lives are affected by the dangerous and discriminatory bill (HB 2) that North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed into law last week.
The first of those stories is from Madeline Goss, an openly transgender woman from Raleigh and a volunteer with HRC. Last week, she testified about the harmful impact HB 2 would have on her life and the transgender community.
“I can’t use the men’s room. I won’t go back to the men’s room. It is unsafe for me there. People like me die in there,” Goss said.
On March 23, Governor McCrory signed into law an outrageous and unprecedented anti-LGBT bill that eliminates existing municipal non-discrimination protections for LGBT people; prevents such provisions from being passed by cities in the future; and forces transgender students in public schools to use restrooms and other facilities inconsistent with their gender identity, putting 4.5 billion dollars in federal funding under Title IX at risk. Read more about how this bill puts federal funding at risk here.
North Carolina is now the first state in the country to enact such a law attacking transgender students, even after several similar proposals were rejected across the country this year — including a high-profile veto by the Republican governor of South Dakota on a very similar bill.
If you would like to share your own personal story of discrimination, please share here.
jade jericho – ©Angelia Bella Photography
Angelia Bella Photography posted a photo:
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM
www.angeliabellaphotography.com
You must be 18 years old or older to chat
