Equality Act’s radical gender ideology threatens religious freedom and women’s rights

Kaylee McGhee White — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 07:03:23 +0000

The Democratic-controlled House is set to vote on and pass the Equality Act, an insidious piece of legislation that hides its religious bigotry beneath a catchy title and a claim to fairness.

The bill’s proponents argue it would simply codify a recent Supreme Court decision in which the justices agreed that the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and “transgender status,” rather than just gender. But the bill does not just expand equal protection rights to the LGBT community, as Democrats have said. It would also gut the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, undermine gender-inclusive groups, such as women’s sports teams, and give leftists license to punish anyone who does not conform to their gender ideology.

The Equality Act would make sure people of faith are forced to comply. The bill literally contains a statute that says religious exemptions that normally apply to federal law would not apply to the Equality Act. This means if a transgender person took a Baptist church to court for refusing to hire him, the church could not use its religious beliefs as the justification. Or, if a baker refused to serve a gay couple based on his religious beliefs about marriage, he would have a much harder time making his case in court because the law would be stacked against him.

In other words, the Equality Act makes it impossible for religious groups and persons to appeal any penalties imposed under the law. It takes away one of their most important lines of defense and leaves them open to attacks from anyone who might disagree with their beliefs.

By erasing gender as a distinct legal category, the bill would also undermine the rights of gender-exclusive groups and spaces. This is a particular threat to the safety of women. Female sports teams would be forced to accept men who identify as women, as would female prisons, locker rooms, bathrooms, shelters, and salons. This leaves women of all ages, but especially young girls, vulnerable to abuse. Any boy could claim to identify as a girl, walk into a public school female locker room, expose himself to young women, and get away with it. We used to call that sexual harassment. Now it’s called equality.

Put simply, there is nothing inclusive, fair, or just about the Equality Act. Its only goal is to make the Left’s radical ideas about sex the new legal standard. And to do this, the bill would trample religious rights and force the rest of the country to go along with it. Lawmakers must reject it soundly.

Source: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/equality-acts-radical-gender-ideology-threatens-religious-freedom-womens-rights

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The post Equality Act’s radical gender ideology threatens religious freedom and women’s rights first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Judaism is a ‘race’: US federal judge rules entitled to legal protection

I24 News — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 19:24:11 +0000

A Jewish man wearing a kippa, or Jewish religious skull cap AFP

Plaintiff Joshua Bonadana sued a Christian college for refusing to hire him due to his Jewish roots

In first, a US federal magistrate judge ruled that Judaism falls under the “race” category under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which provides legal protection to those discriminated based on their race.

The Louisiana Magistrate judge ruled that while the Supreme Court has refrained from defining “race’ under the statute, Jews have been treated as a racial or ethnic group, warranting legal protection against discrimination.

“Modern sociologists and anthropologists, especially with advancements in DNA studies, debate whether Judaism is a people, a religion, or both. There is no doubt, however, that many people have and continue to view being Jewish as a racial identity,” Magistrate Mark Hornsby wrote.

Plaintiff Joshua Bonadana sued a Christian college for refusing to hire him due to his Jewish roots.

Magistrate Hornsby explained that Jews have often been the victims of anti-Semitism because of their Jewish background regardless of whether or not they practice the religion — demonstrating that Jews are discriminated not on the basis of their religion but rather their genealogy.

“America is no stranger to anti-Semitism, which is often rooted in prejudice against a person based on his heritage/ethnicity without regard to the person’s particular religious beliefs,” the magistrate wrote.

“Jewish citizens have been excluded from certain clubs or neighborhoods, and they have been denied jobs and other opportunities based on the fact that they were Jewish, with no particular concern as to a given individual’s religious leanings,” he reasoned.

Bonadona alleged that the coach who interviewed him for a position said the president of the Christian college refused to hire him due to his “Jewish blood.”

Magistrate Hornsby called the ruling “precedent-setting” after stating that he could not find any prior such discrimination cases based on anti-Semitism, suggesting it may pave the way for future cases.

However, the college has the right to request a review of the ruling by a federal district court judge before the court adopts it. Magistrate judges are appointed in order to help district court judges with their caseload.

Source: https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/americas/179724-180718-us-federal-judge-rules-judaism-is-a-race-entitled-to-legal-protection

[Disclaimer]

The post Judaism is a ‘race’: US federal judge rules entitled to legal protection first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

1964 Civil Rights Act - Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association

Equality Act’s radical gender ideology threatens religious freedom and women’s rights

Judaism is a ‘race’: US federal judge rules entitled to legal protection