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.