Friday, March 04, 2016

I Think They Are Feeling The Heat

I think some of the backlash the trans community has seen with the legislation that has been introduced against us in state legislatures are now feeling their own backlash and some of the legislators are feeling a bit sheepish.
W.Va. Senate Overwhelmingly Kills Antigay Bill
The Advocate
By Neal Broverman
March 3, 2016

Proposed legislation that would have allowed West Virginia businesses and individuals to discriminate against LGBT people in the name of religion died on the Senate floor Wednesday.

The GOP-controlled legislative body killed the bill by a 7-27 vote.
Meanwhile down in Georgia they are still plugging forward with their bill but they are facing pushback from businesses,
Georgia Businesses Rally Against 'Religious Freedom' Bill
Georgia's so-called First Amendment Defense Act must pass another vote on the House floor before it arrives on the governor's desk.
The Advocate
By Sunnivie Brydum
March 2, 2016

Major companies headquartered in Georgia have joined forces to fight a so-called religious freedom bill that is advancing through the state legislature.

House Bill 757, originally called the Pastor Protection Act, was amended in a state Senate committee last month to include the so-called First Amendment Defense Act, which would allow individuals and faith-based organizations to refuse service to people in relationships they deem objectionable based on a sincerely held “moral or religious conviction.”

The controversial legislation has been described by opponents as a “license to discriminate,” and as “RFRA on steroids,” referring to so-called Religious Freedom Restoration Acts, which ignited nationwide backlash when passed in Indiana and Arkansas last year. Both states subsequently amended their RFRAs to explicitly state that the laws could not be used to discriminate against LGBT people.
[…]
A coalition of more than 400 businesses is advocating for the bill’s defeat under the banner Georgia Prospers, arguing that “for Georgia businesses to compete for top talent, we must have workplaces and communities that are diverse and welcoming for all people, no matter one’s race, sex, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.”

Major companies that have signed on to the Georgia Prospers pledge include Delta Airlines, Coca-Cola, Home Depot, UPS, and Cox Enterprises, all of which have headquarters in Atlanta.
There are around forty laws against trans people and other LGBT people that have proposed around the nation.

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