WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) – A potential sign of conservative pushback paying off, three Republican members of the House of Representatives have withdrawn their support for a so-called “compromise” alternative to the far-left LGBT “Equality Act.”
For years, Democrats and LGBT lobbyists have agitated for passage of the Equality Act, which would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include “sex,” “sexual orientation,” and “gender identity” among expressly recognized “non-discrimination” categories in “public accommodations” (the definition of which would be dramatically expanded). It would also force employers of 15 or more people to recognize their claimed “gender identity,” forbid them from “discriminating” based on “sexual orientation” or “gender identity,” and mandate transgender “access” to sex-specific facilities.
Conservatives argue that the bill, which has the backing of President Joe Biden, would not merely protect homosexual or gender-confused Americans from actual harm, but rather force religious adoption agencies to place children in same-sex homes; force the likes of photographers, florists, and bakers to participate in same-sex “weddings”; force employers and businesses to accommodate cross-dressing and sex-change treatments regardless of their own values or policies; and force women and girls to share sleeping quarters, showers, changing areas, restrooms, and sex-specific athletic competitions with gender-confused males.
Instead of simply opposing the bill, however, some in the GOP have advocated offering their own alternative bill: Rep. Chris Stewart’s (R-UT) “Fairness for All Act,” which its supporters claim would extend new protections to LGBT Americans while better safeguarding the religious and conscience rights of those who disagree with homosexuality or gender-fluidity.
The latter bill currently has 19 cosponsors, all of whom are Republicans as Democrats have rejected it for offering the LGBT lobby less than the Equality Act does. However, as reported Wednesday by National Review’s Nate Hochman, the Fairness for All Act recently lost the support of Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Jefferson Van Drew (R-NJ).
The bill’s protections for religious liberty “are so minuscule and incremental, they fail to adequately deal with many religious liberty issues that have arisen as a result of SOGI [sexual orientation & gender identity] laws,” Family Research Council’s Travis Weber writes. Moreover, its “premise that religious liberty is the only problem with the Equality Act is incorrect and it fails to adequately deal with these concerns: Erosion of women’s rights, privacy and safety. Inequality and unfairness in women’s sports. Politicization of the medical field. Erosion of parental rights. Faith-based charities’ ability to operate.”
“The tide is turning for social conservatives,” American Principles Project president Terry Schilling told National Review. “The political ground has shifted tremendously as Americans have become more aware of the disastrous consequences of cultural leftism. Republicans are finally beginning to realize that fighting on these issues is not only the right thing to do but also will win them elections.”