Kansas: Law to sanction homophobic discrimination passes House of Representatives

[Fearless]

The state’s Republican controlled House of Representatives passed the measure 72-49 on Wednesday. It now awaits a further vote in the state Senate.

“Kansans across the state are rightly appalled that legislators are spending their efforts to pass yet another piece of legislation that seeks to enshrine discrimination against gay and lesbian people into law,” Sandra Meade, chair of Equality Kansas said. She added: “HB 2453 is a blatant attempt to maintain second-class citizen status for taxpaying gay and lesbian Kansans.”

The Republican Governor of Kansas, Sam Brownback, supports the bill.

“Americans have constitutional rights, among them the right to exercise their religious beliefs and the right for every human life to be treated with respect and dignity,” he told The Topeka Capital-Journal.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/02/13/kansas-law-sanction-homophobic-discrimination-passes-house-representatives/

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[theHandpuppet]

1. This kind of bigoted stupidity will hit them in the pocketbook

As more and more business in this country turns to high-tech, how does Kansas expect to draw businesses to their state when they teach creationism as science in their schools and pass laws that would turn away many of the best and brightest applicants for 21st Century jobs? It just doesn't make sense.

[LonePirate]

2. You are wrong about one thing. As a resident of this backwards state, I can tell you ...

Creationism is not taught in public schools as it is not currently endorsed by the State Board of Education. Granted, that could change if some sensible members of the board are voted out of office. Until it is, creationism is not sanctioned as a legitimate science/history theory.

I don't have any quibbles with anything else you said, though.

[mockmonkey]

3. They should call it...

"The Fred Phelps Bill". Just to point out honestly, the company they keep.

[shenmue]

4. Uhhhhg

[neffernin]

5. Very surprised this isn't front page

“Americans have constitutional rights, among them the right to exercise their religious beliefs and the right for every human life to be treated with respect and dignity,” he told The Topeka Capital-Journal.

Religion is constantly used as some end-all for Christians to do whatever they want, including passing Jim Crow style laws in the 21st century!

I am going to create a religion that believes in no taxes, no government regulation, and the freedom to take whatever I deem I want as my own at any time (or reading above maybe that already exists).

Point is, where does it stop? Mormon's did not include blacks in their church until the 1978. Would "the right to exercise their religious beliefs" allow them to refuse all wedding services (and potentially more) up until that point? No, because the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

*sigh*

I lose more and more faith in humanity every day.

[Fearless]

8. +1

[MuseRider]

6. I should have come here and posted before now

sorry.

I think we may have killed this bill, at least as it is now written. Through strong, persistent activism we have pummeled these legislators in the Senate with messages and viewpoints. People all over the state are forming small groups who are working against this bill. Much of it will fall to Equality Kansas (formerly Kansas Equality Coalition) and we are organized and working.

We have a statement from the president of the Senate from last night that she thinks her party is not feeling easy about legislating discrimination. It remains to be seen what will happen to this bill. Hopefully our amendments will be attached and they can pass, once again, another Religious Freedom bill. God knows how the Christians are persecuted in Kansas.

NEW article http://cjonline.com/news/2014-02-14/senate-leaders-expect-changes-religious-freedom-bill

[theHandpuppet]

7. Thanks for your post and for your efforts

I hope sanity and humanity will prevail.

[MuseRider]

9. There is actually quite a bit more to this.

We had amendments to be introduced in the House but the Democrats would not touch them. In fact, Brownback's challenger Paul Davis (D), referred to this bill as a distraction to just let the Republicans own (as if that is going to make much of a difference in this state that is owned in it's entirety by the Koch brothers). 3 Democrats in the House actually voted for this abomination. A Republican with principles put forth our amendments, thankfully SOMEONE had the courage to do the right thing.

[AlinPA]

10. It looks like it will pass the State Senate easily? This Slate article says so. Then the republican

governor would sign it into law. I can't believe this is happening, even in Kansas.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2014/02/13/kansas_anti_gay_segregation_bill_is_an_abomination.html

[MuseRider]

11. No it will not.

The Senate president says that her caucus has no intention of sending this through. Her vice feels that way as well. They were pummeled with phone calls and email from the state. Kansans may have been fooled into a lot of crazy lately but they will not stand for this kind of thing. Even the Chamber of Commerce told them they had better not do this.

There may be some rewriting, maybe not. If it is killed outright there could be a last minute reading of it for a vote without discussion and we could end up there. We need to be able to write amendments that kills all the bad stuff, the stupid stuff can stay in. That is what happened last year. The "I am a Christian and you can't be mad at me about that so there!" stuff stays in because there are so many Christians hanging from fences they need this right? Every year they need to do this right?

I like Slate but that is a fucking lot of pretending to know what is happening here. It is not going to happen with this bill. What happens remains to be seen but now nobody wants the stink of this to follow them into the election season. Not even the Baggers can expect support for this I think.

[AlinPA]

12. Thanks.