Another Hateful Bill From The Republicans

This time giving religious exemptions from obeying the law to adoption religious agencies. At one time it was said that religion and politics don't mix but the Republicans are trying to make it work to oppress people who are different from them.

Adoption bill dubbed 'un-American' by advocacy group passes House
Fox25 News
By Austin Prickett
April 26th 2018

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — A bill dubbed "un-American" by an LGBTQ advocacy group has passed through the Oklahoma House.

The Oklahoma House passed SB 1140 60-26. The bill would allow adoption and foster care agencies to cite religion to turn away same-sex couples, single mothers, interfaith couples and children.

LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD has called the bill "un-American". GLAAD Vice President Zeke Stokes says called on the Oklahoma House to reject the legislation.

“This bill is heartless and un-American. No qualified parent should be turned away from adoption or foster agencies simply because they are LGBTQ,” Stokes said.
The bill reads that "no private child-placing agency shall be required to perform, assist, counsel, recommend, consent to, refer, or participate in any placement of a child for foster care or adoption when the proposed placement would violate the agency's written religious or moral convictions or policies." The bill would also prohibit state and local government from denying grants or revoking an agencies license for not participating in the placement of a child.

So in other words they can used public funding and can discriminate against people who don’t follow their particular religious beliefs… so if a Muslim or Jewish parents what to adopt a child could refuse them saying that their children can only go to Christian households. Or they can discriminate against an unmarried or single persons.

LGBTQ Nation put it this way…

The Kansas Senate passed a version of the bill in March, but the bill fell five votes short in the House of Representatives after many moderate or suburban Republicans expressed concerns that the legislation would facilitate discrimination against same-sex couples and other prospective parents whose lifestyles could deemed “objectionable” by child placement agency employees.

This is only another step in the Republican quest to create a Christian theocracy.

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Yesterday we the twelfth annual Trans Health and Law Conference or the technical name for it is, “Transgender Lives: The Intersection of Health and Law Conference”

It was the first time in five years that I didn’t run the conference, I turned over the planning and running the conference to our Board president, even though I didn’t run the conference it didn’t mean that I didn’t help out with the conference.

It was a transitional year for the conference, there were minor “bugs” but overall the conference ran smoothly.

The parking coming said they were going to post signs for the conference but they didn’t. Three presenters didn’t show up, two other cancelled out beforehand so they were excused but the ones who didn’t show up will be remembered next year.

We only had half the number of workshops and there were gaps in some of the topics.

The university doubled booked rooms and didn’t tell us but we were able to work around it, but it sure would have been nice to tell us instead of ripping down our room signs.

The keynote speech was excellent! The keynote speech was by Elijah C. Nealy, PhD, M.Div., LCSW an author and professor at the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford and has worked with LGBTQ adolescents and adults in both pastoral and social service capacities.

An I received the CTAC community service award.