Liberty Counsel Calls LGBT Protections Bill Equality Act 'Unpatriotic And Dangerous'
- By
- Carlos Santoscoy
- | May 19, 2019
The Christian conservative law group Liberty Counsel has criticized passage in the U.S. House of the Equality Act.
The Equality Act seeks to add protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity to existing civil rights laws.
The legislation cleared the House on Friday with the help of eight Republicans.
(Related: LGBT protections bill Equality Act clears House.)
The group named the eight Republicans in a press release, then stated they should lose their jobs.
“No one who voted for the misnamed ‘Equality Act’ deserves to serve in Congress,” said Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel.
“This bill destroys the fundamental religious freedom on which America was founded. This bill is unpatriotic and dangerous. The misnamed ‘Equality Act’ has nothing to do with equality and is the most serious threat to life and liberty ever proposed by Congress. This bill needs to be stopped in the Senate. If this bill becomes law, the consequences are staggering,” he added.
Republicans who voted for the legislation include Representatives Susan Brooks of Indiana, Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Will Hurd of Texas, John Katko of New York, Tom Reed of New York, Elise Stefanik of New York, and Greg Walden of Oregon.
Liberty Counsel is vocally opposed to LGBT rights. It has challenged state and local laws that prohibit therapies that attempt to alter the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBT youth.
The Equality Act now heads to the Senate, where it faces a steep incline.