Religious Liberty Under Attack!
The fundamental right of people to live and for organizations to operate in accordance with their deeply held religious convictions is under assault in Virginia by the new Democrat majority and its radical sexual (“LGBTQ”) agenda.
Click HERE to urge your Delegate and Senator to protect Religious Liberty!
If there were any doubts that this is happening, they were definitively erased yesterday after a friendly amendment offered by Delegate Glenn Davis (R-Virginia Beach) to ensure modest protections for churches and faith-based groups to HB 1049 (D-Levine), which elevates the fluid concepts of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” (SOGI) to protected classes under state nondiscrimination law, was ruled out of order by Speaker Filler-Corn as somehow “non-germane” to the bill. This was done with the most spurious explanation and without any debate. This was Democrats’ way of swiftly shutting down any opportunity to debate, discuss, or even simply explain the proposed amendment, thereby avoiding having to answer questions about the impact that HB 1049 will have on religious freedom.
Sadly, HB 1049 passed the full House today on a bipartisan vote of 59-39.
Unfortunately, HB 1049 is not alone, as there are at least two other far-reaching SOGI bills that will empower the government to strong-arm churches and people of faith into abandoning their beliefs about marriage and sexuality or be penalized in a variety of ways. (Read more about it HERE.) HB 1663 (D-Sickles) and SB 868 (D-Ebbin) incorporate SOGI as specially protected statuses in public and private employment, public accommodations, housing, appointments, credit, and the Virginia Human Rights Act. These bills also create new civil and government-initiated causes of action to sue people claimed to be in violation, as well as add draconian and far-reaching powers to the Attorney General to investigate, sue, and sanction with large fines anyone claimed to be in violation. (See “Bakers Fined $135,000 for Refusing to Make Gay Wedding Cake”)
In the Senate today, Senator Mark Peake (R-Lynchburg) offered amendments to SB 868 similar to those offered in the House. However, this time Senate Democrats argued against the amendments and actually went on record to vote against reasonable protections for faith-based organizations.
To be clear, the primary impact – if not the complete objective – of HB 1049, HB 1663 and SB 868 is to punish faith-based employees, businesses, and non-profit organizations (including churches) for not adhering to the state’s new favored dogma on human sexuality.
Whether the bipartisan votes on these bills are a result of true belief in these bills or a genuine lack of understanding, it’s important to list just some of the consequences these bills will have on Virginians:
Christian colleges, like Liberty University, Regent, and Christendom College, will be forced to allow same-sex couples into their married dormitories – against their faith-based policies.
It will weaponize the government to be able to punish those who continue to maintain the biological, historic, and orthodox view of human sexuality. (For example, cake artist Jack Phillips in Colorado and florist Barronelle Stutzman in Washington, were punished for declining to lend their artistic talents to celebrate same-sex weddings. Already in Virginia, owners of a wedding photography and videography business, Brett and Alex Sandridge, received major backlash after politely declining their services to a same-sex couple.)
Require any faith-based agencies and non-profits who want to partner with the state to provide needed humanitarian services (like foster care and adoption agencies, refugee care, etc.) to enact LGBTQ-affirming policies as a condition for continued partnership with government – forcing some to leave and even shut their doors.
All employers will be required to permit biological males who identify as female to have access to women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, and other private spaces.
All employers will be required to include gender “reassignment” procedures in their employee health plans.
All employers and employees will likely be compelled to affirmatively use a person’s preferred pronouns even if different from their biological sex. (See “The Firing of Peter Vlaming” about a VA High School teacher who was fired after a similar policy was passed by the school board, because he would not agree to use male pronouns for a female student.)
And countless others…
In virtually every situation involving non-discrimination laws based on one’s “sexual orientation” or “gender identity,” they result in intolerant applications that punish people of sincere religious faith who hold Biblical and historic views on marriage and sexuality.
Please continue to pray for our Commonwealth as the General Assembly debates and votes on bills that threaten the work and livelihoods of so many churches, faith-based organizations, and people of faith. And because these bills are receiving bipartisan support, it’s vital that you continue to contact your legislator and urge them to oppose any non-discrimination that elevates the erroneous notions of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” above the inalienable right to religious liberty.
Click HERE to urge your Delegate and Senator to protect Religious Liberty!
