Inequality Act. . .

Rainbow Equality Act

As you have heard by now, the House has passed Pelosi and Biden's so-called Equality Act which is little more than a gutting of previous legislation (going back to the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964) and the sacrifice of religious freedom for the sake of the LGBTQ+ crowd.  I cannot for the life of me understand why feminists are willing to sacrifice female athletes and parents ready to sacrifice children upon the flimsy science of gender dysphoria.  I cannot understand why someone who considers himself a devout Roman Catholic would support such a catastrophic assault on religious freedom -- a constitutional right, by the way, in case anyone has forgotten.

Though the bill claims its purpose is to “prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and for other purposes,” the "other purposes" means the restriction of the free exercise of religion protected by the Bill of Rights.  Second, the rest of the bill makes clear that this act really means to end all discussion about gender identity, to prohibit any disagreement on this topic and to outlaw those who would retain the traditional biological distinctions and categories of male and female.

The Act presumes to redefine any use of the term sex (gender) to exclude biology and place it squarely in the realm of individual feeling or preference.  Further, the Act expands the scope of  “public accommodation” to include anywhere people gather outside a private residence.  Finally, the Act precludes any right of religious freedom and any protection to religious liberty with respect to these categories and definitions.  Why does this matter to churches?  By defining public accommodation as any  “place of or establishment that provides exhibition, entertainment, recreation, exercise, amusement, public gathering, or public display”; and “any establishment that provides a good, service, or program, including a . . . food bank, service or care center, [or] shelter,” parishes hosting community groups, religious primary and secondary schools, and every other religiously affiliated institution is liable to be sued or compelled against their constitutional religious liberty to conform to the provisions of this Act.

Those who thought that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (“RFRA”) provided religious exemption and cover for religious institution should be warned that this Act specifically provides that RFRA “shall not provide a claim concerning, or a defense to a claim under” it.  If it becomes law, the future of religious liberty will be permanently constrained and the danger to churches and their affiliated agencies cannot be over stated.

So write your senator and take up your pen to write against this not Equality Act.