Analysis
The dangerous “Equality Act” is back before Congress. But can it be stopped again this time?
If it passes, pro-family citizens objecting to the LGBTQ agenda will be criminalized.
By Amy Contrada
MassResistance Research Director
July 26, 2023
NOTE: An earlier version of this article appeared in American Thinker.
The LGBT movement - backed by Corporate America - is out to criminalize all dissent from its noxious radical agenda. Are conservatives prepared for that fight? [Photo: RunWithPride]It’s back! The LGBTQ “Equality Act” (H.R. 15). This dangerous bill was reintroduced in Congress on June 21, 2023. H.R. 15 would amend the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, embedding the LGBTQ+ lexicon into the nation’s civil rights law.
The leftist media portray the bill as protection for oppressed “sexual minorities.” But it’s actually a massive attack on the rights of the majority. It would criminalize anyone who refuses to go along with LGBTQ “rights” in the workplace, public accommodations, healthcare facilities, schools, and colleges. Even churches would be affected.
The Equality Act would wipe away recent pro-family victories around the country. Some examples: States that have banned “sex-change” medical treatments for supposed “transgender” children would be forced to allow those practices. State bans on boys’ participation on girls’ sports teams would be overturned. Challenges to pornographic LGBTQ books in school and local libraries would be considered illegal discrimination. Elective therapy for sexual issues (mislabeled “conversion therapy”) would be banned.
Freedom of religion is in the crosshairs: “The bill erases the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) protections, meaning churches, schools, shelters, day care centers, adoption agencies — EVERYONE — will be forced to comply with the LGBTQ agenda,” writes Liberty Counsel’s Mat Staver.
Hate speech laws would soon follow.
How have we come to this point? For years, the Left has been allowed to control the language. The Right has accepted the new LGBT lexicon without seeming to understand the power these words carried. And now these ghastly concepts are embedded in the Equality Act.
It would radically amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act with these fluid terms (all appear in the Equality Act): sexual orientation, gender identity, homosexuality, bisexuality, transgender, gender, nonbinary, queer, and LGBTQ. They are purposely left undefined.
Liberty Counsel explains that the “Q” is especially concerning because radical perversions would become protected classes:
Already, 212 House Democrats have co-sponsored a bill designed to force churches and every person to accept and promote abortion and the radical perversions encompassed by the “Q” paraphilias of LGBT & Q. These would become federally protected if the newly reintroduced “Equality Act” passes….The "Q" in LGBTQ includes about 550 sexually deviant “paraphilias” — including pedophilia — that will become protected classes under this bill! …
LGBTQ Nation wrote, “… the Q in LGBTQ can also signify other sexual orientations and genders not covered by the acronym's preceding letters. If you're gender-neutral, non-binary, agender, genderfluid, pansexual, asexual, solosexual or something else not covered by LGBT, the Q has got you covered!”
This extensive legislation will elevate privileges for LGBTQ conduct above religious freedom in every cultural arena in America — including churches and religious colleges…. This bill will revoke the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act’s protections and push both the LGBTQ and abortion agendas into our homes, our schools, and yes, even our churches….
It’s also an abortion nightmare. As Liberty Counsel describes, the bill orders changes to Section 1101 of Title XI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, making ALL abortion a federal right.
A trail of halfhearted conservative opposition
To date, conservative political opposition has avoided the underlying issues. There was no direct challenge to these absurd “LGBTQ” concepts by our politicians; rather, they were treated with respect. There was no straight talk on the moral basis of law; no opposition to the promotion of sodomy and other perversions; no mention of serious public health issues in the LGBTQ population.
Our side has failed to flay recent SCOTUS rulings – Obergefell (2015 on “gay marriage”) and Bostock (2020, adding undefined “sexual orientation and gender identity” to federal law). Effective court challenges to the federal “gay marriage” law (2022) never materialized.
Right-leaning media has simply stopped talking about these core issues. Most conservatives were intimidated and accepted defeat.
A real danger of passing this time
Will the bill be allowed to come up for a vote in the House? If we are lucky, Speaker McCarthy will keep it bottled up in committee. But 47 House Republicans voted for the federal gay marriage bill in December 2022. Suppose a large group of Republicans pushed for a vote on the Equality Act?
If it comes to the floor, the bill is poised to pass. Previous versions of the Equality Act in 2019 and 2021 passed the House. This time, 212 House Democrats are co-sponsoring it, so only a few RINO votes are needed to reach a majority.
After that, one would think that with the 60-vote threshold, the Senate would be safe. But the “Respect for Marriage Act” passed by 61-36 last November. And the Senate is considered to be even worse now.
Biden will of course sign it. He said in his 2023 State of the Union address, “Let's also pass the bipartisan Equality Act to ensure LGBTQ Americans, especially transgender young people, can live with safety and dignity.”
A massive push by Corporate America and leftist organizations to get this passed
We are up against incredibly powerful forces. The sexual-radical LGBT advocacy organization Human Rights Campaign (HRC) states:
The nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) found that nationally, support for a bill like the Equality Act topped 70 percent, which includes a majority of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. The bill has been endorsed by more than 650 organizations, including civil rights, education, health care, and faith-based organizations. In addition, there is strong business support for non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people. The legislation has been endorsed by the Business Coalition for the Equality Act, a group of more than 530 major companies with operations in all 50 states … More than 60 business associations including the National Association of Manufacturers, National Restaurant Association, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce have [endorsed] the Equality Act.
Here's HRC’s list of over 540 major US corporations that now support the Equality Act. (Is it any wonder the recent “Pride” month propaganda was so overwhelming?)
We must take this seriously
This should be a huge wake-up call. But the big national pro-family groups are not alerting their followers to this danger, with the exception of American Principles Project and Liberty Counsel. Where are the others? And where are the conservative media?
We can’t gamble that the Equality Act won’t come up for a vote. Check to see if your congressman is on that list of 47 turncoat House Republicans who voted for the federal gay marriage bill in December 2022. If so, tell him to oppose the Equality Act! Contact the Republican House Leadership and ask them to block it.
Let’s hope it’s not too late to stop this bill. Please spread awareness of its threat and encourage every Congressman and Senator to oppose it.
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Amy Contrada has been with MassResistance.org since its founding in 2004. She is the author of CORRUPT BARGAINS: How Gay Marriage Began in Massachusetts (2023); The Health Hazards of Homosexuality (2017); and Passing the Trash (2020). She is currently testing Elon’s commitment to free speech @AmyContrada.
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