(CNA).- The U.S. bishops’ conference (USCCB) has come out in opposition to the Equality Act, which was introduced in the U.S. House on Thursday.
The bill, introduced by Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), would recognize sexual orientation and gender identity as protected legal classes in a variety of areas including housing, education, and public spaces. Critics have warned that it would erode religious freedom and enshrine the redefinition of marriage and gender ideology in law, requiring people and groups to confirm to LGBT “equality” and transgender ideology regardless of their religious beliefs.
“Instead of respecting differences in beliefs about marriage and sexuality, the Equality Act would discriminate against people of faith,” the USCCB has warned in a voter guide.
The bill, the conference and other critics warn, would uphold transgender ideology by requiring “girls and women to compete against boys and men for limited opportunities in sports, and to share locker rooms and shower spaces with biological males who identify as women.”
The bill could also force doctors to perform gender-transition surgeries, the conference says. Pro-life groups have also said that the act could expand abortions by considering refusal to perform abortions unlawful “pregnancy discrimination.”
Groups opposed to the redefinition of marriage would be “punished” under the law, the USCCB said.
Ryan Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, agreed that the bill would “persecute those who do not embrace new sexual and gender ideologies.” Religious schools and charities could “face federal sanction for operating according to basic biology and mainstream Biblical teaching on sex and marriage,” he said.
President Joe Biden praised the Equality Act, urged Congress to quickly pass it, and said it would provide “long overdue federal civil rights protections,” as well as “codifying the courage and resilience of the LGBTQ+ movement into enduring law.”
Biden, who in 2016 officiated a same-sex wedding, also touted his Jan. 20 executive order on “Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual orientation.” The order stated his administration’s policy of recognizing federal civil rights protections for sexual orientation and gender identity.
The legislation, which passed the House in 2019, is a policy priority of pro-LGBT groups such as the Human Rights Campaign. Biden has promised to sign it in his first 100 days in office.
Anderson said the bill privileges “men who identify as women” over the safety of women.
“If this bill becomes law,” Anderson said, men who identify as transgender women would “have a civil right to spend the night in a battered women’s shelter, disrobe in a women’s locker room, and compete on a women’s sports team-even children at K-12 public schools.”
He claimed that should the bill become law, “Pope Francis would be treated as the legal equivalent of a Jim Crow segregationalist” due to his opposition to transgender ideology and the redefinition of marriage.
“And no one-not even the act’s sponsors-can tell us what would be required under the act to avoid committing ‘discrimination’ in the case of ‘non-binary’ gender identities,” said Anderson.
A person who identifies as being “non-binary” does not align themselves as either male or female.
Erika Bachiochi, a pro-life legal scholar and a fellow at the EPPC, said that the Equality Act could promote abortion as a right and “further incentivize employers to prefer abortion for their pregnant employees over far more costly accommodations for parenting.”
“The Equality Act may be good for the bottom line, but it would be devastating for women and their families,” she said.
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To fully advance the Demonic, Dishonorable Socialist Democrat’s destructive agendas of socialism, open borders, gun control, radical feminism, abortion-on-demand, the LGBTQ lifestyle, unfettered sexual identity, “gay marriage” and the like, the pagan Liberal left Democrats must do away with our Constitution, GOD, common sense, morality, Christian values and free religious exercise altogether.
Under the guise of “anti-discrimination.”
Thursday, March 12, 2015. Michael F. Haverluck (OneNewsNow.com)
“Joe Biden went on to assure the pro-LGBT crowd that even though the Obama administration cannot enforce a thought police, people who stand for their religious convictions are in the process of being wiped out — as the Obama White House’s homosexual agenda continues to proliferate across the nation. Carson and others who ascribe to the biblical view of homosexuality should be eradicated from the planet in the name of “equality” and “tolerance.” ”
“equality” and “tolerance.” ??? Huh???
THEIR idea of equality and tolerance, is THEY DEMAND< We give.. Always has been, always will be.
The overwhelming majority in this country stand with GOD… nothing of this is enforceable… these idiots can make and pass what they think are law… but enforcing it is a completely different matter. Do they really think they can force a doctor to preform an abortion… they’ll just quit… we already have a serious shortage. It will be the end of sports that’s already hanging on a thread and make another tax revenue killer. These morons have …NO… clue what a “right” is. Rights are not given by humans…rights are inalienable given in nature or by God with free will. It’s gonna get real bloody … and mostly theirs.
The demonic, dishonorable, dishonest Democrats who are now in charge of the U.S. government have abandoned their belief in GOD.
These demonic fools worship themselves and follow Satan.
To fully advance the Demonic, Dishonorable Socialist Democrat’s destructive agendas of socialism, open borders, gun control, radical feminism, abortion-on-demand, the LGBTQ lifestyle, unfettered sexual identity, “gay marriage” and the like, the pagan Liberal left Democrats must do away with our Constitution, GOD, common sense, morality, Christian values and free religious exercise altogether.
Under the guise of “anti-discrimination.”
Lawsuits will destroy any church that doesn’t comply
WHICH is their goal.. THOUGH you can bet, it won’t ever apply to MOSQUES..
A church is not a building.
A church is not a formal organization.
A church is whenever / wherever “two or three gather” in worship of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us stand in defiance of the demonic masters of this evil planet for as long as that is possible then meet in secret when we must and where we must in obedience to the commands of our savior.
AMEN…elderal!!! AMEN… They will …NEVER….EVER…. NEVER make me turn my back on GOD and the wisdom of the teachings of JESUS…. no matter how many useless, evil and demented laws they …THINK… will stop me.
The problem is too many people use the “turn the other cheek” excuse to not fight for God. This country will lose it’s first amendment rights, along with the second, because also some people think God chooses the world’s leaders. That kind of thinking would make a person think God chose Hitler and other horrible dictators to run countries. People fail to realize is that when a country turns it’s back on God then the leaders are chosen by the people and people will usually chose the most corrupt or will allow their elections to be stolen by corrupt people. Biden was NOT chosen by God or the majority of the people of this country. If you won’t stand for something, you’ll fall for everything.
A point i have been making for years. FOR FAR TOO LONG we on the right, have been ‘turning the other cheek’, refusing to fight fire with fire… AND that imo, is WHY the left is so powerful now.
Next on the agenda, forcing daycare centers to hire pedophiles as directors. Then, convicted arsonists will become fire chiefs.
My hope is that there are a few Democrats with the courage to “just say no” to this bill.
IF THEY had courage, they wouldn’t be democrats!
Hey Joe, the Constitution states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. Well I guess you and your Democrats can shove your different genders up your you know what. You, Joe and your communist Democrats have no right to impose your religion of evil / religion of the devil / religion of depravity on those of us that are Christians. The total destruction of Christianity by Joe and his communist Democrats.
Packer. TIME and time again, they Prove they care not, what the hell the constitution says..
The Constitution also states that the Right to Keep and Bear Arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED but yet here we are. It also covers free speech that has been squelched. Barry tried to destroy it, it took the demented old man that can’t figure out what day it is to give them the opportunity to do it.
There is NO SUCH THING as LBGTQ – all only mentally ill folks!
Only two genders, Man and Woman
Marriage can only be between on man and one woman
Equality is only man and woman, no exceptions, no “******** genders”!
If you don’t agree, please see your psychologist and get committed to a hospital
What’s this Country becoming? Boys and men in girls showers and bathrooms. Youth being taught in school they can change their sex at will. Every weirdo has more rights than law-abiding heterosexuals. Now the Democrats have made it where sex and color matter in job qualification when for years we were told it was the caricature of the individual not the color of their skin. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) must be a closet gay *** transvestite to even think this is what the United States stands for. Who voted this guy into office? Right! The LBGTQB lobby is now a segment of the Democrat Party and defines thier agenda. I thank God every day that I am no longer 21 so I won’t be here to see this once great Country destroyed by the likes of the Libtard Demorats.
I have an idea. Stop calling sports “men’s” or “women’s” and start calling them XX or XY sports. You can call yourself whatever you want, you can dress how ever you want, you can lope off or add on whatever you want BUT you CANNOT change your DNA. You are either XX or XY. Compete against the people with the same DNA makeup.
How’s about we just call them SPORTS..
The word equality is used to gain support for laws that do not provide equal protection of the law. The actual policies desired when the terms equality and civil rights are attached to legislation seek equity as defined by those administering the laws. This is in defiance of equality of opportunity and equal treatment before the law.
In addition to sex, race, color, creed, national origin, etc., what actually needs to be added to the anti-discrimination list is “Political Ideology”.
SINCE they’re coming for conservatives, THEY WILL NEVER EVER add that to the protected list.
ALL who buy into this “gender identity” ****, just remember the old saying, “**** in one hand and wish in the other and see which one gets full first” all the whishing and hormones in the world will not change the chromosomes you were born with.
The only saving grace, here, is that our SCOTUS majority doesn’t seem inclined to discard the rights of churches.
Sadly, I don’t know if they have the same sanity when it comes to protecting the RIGHTS of women and children from sexual predators!
FOR Now at least.. Sadly, i am not sure they will continue to do so.
This bill and its authors are in flagrant opposition to the holy Lord and Master of the universe. They place their pathetic opinions and writings as superior to the Bible, the inspired Word of God.
This is heresy and blasphemy of the lowest order and is in line with the destructive schemes of Satan.
I have no problem praying for the death of these blasphemous Democrats
The evil minded cannot compete with God and therefore punish his children instead. We are strong and fear them not.