Tag: religious freedom

Tony Perkins, the former Louisiana state legislator with ties to the KKK who now leads the anti-LGBTQ hate group Family Research Council, has been tapped to chair the US Commission on International Freedom. Best known for nonstop lobbying and PR campaigns demonizing Muslims and LGBTQ Americans, the Family Research Council occupies a unique place in right wing culture. The group masquerades as a Christian charity and enjoys a close relationship with Republican politicians as a major voice for evangelical voters. Senate...

Ricardo Rosselló, the Governor of Puerto Rico, pushed for a “Religious freedom” bill for the Commonwealth, and it seemed destined to pass. The bill, which would allow discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity based on one’s religious beliefs, was approved by the Puerto Rico House of Representatives on Tuesday. The fate of HB 2069, however, turned out far differently with the intervention of what may be Puerto Rico’s most famous pop singer. Ricky Martin is known by many as the...

Anytime the Trump administration announces an initiative on human rights, you can bet it’s not about expanding them. That’s obviously the case with the new advisory panel meant to look at rights in the context of “natural law,” a code phrase for anti-LGBTQ prejudice. There’s plenty of reason to be skeptical of the panel, starting with the fact that it originated under Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s watch. Pompeo has a well-documented hatred of LGBTQ rights and is such a...

A group of gay Republicans – including the former head of the Log Cabin Republicans – have launched a petition to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell demanding that he squash any attempt to give LGBTQ people equal rights. That’s right, they’re literally opposing their own civil rights. Republican and religious right opposition to the Equality Act has been focused mostly on so-called “religious freedom” excuses for discrimination. Both groups have specifically highlighted protections for transgender people and women as problematic for...

Back in August, #BeyBeAHero became a trending topic on Twitter, filled with messages asking Beyoncé for support in the struggle against anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination laws in Houston, her own hometown. As months passed by, everyone saw with disappointment how she kept avoiding commenting on the subject entirely. Now, discrimination is legalized, and somehow all the judgmental fingers seem to point at her. The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) ordinance bans discrimination against LGBT people in the employment sector, housing, and public...