A disturbing new anti-LGBT bill has just passed in the US
Hospitals in Georgia could soon be allowed to turn away gay patients in the name of ‘religious freedom’
A controversial ‘religious freedom’ bill got unanimously passed in Georgia last night, despite being disturbingly discriminatory towards gay people.
The HB 757, which has been widely condemned by LGBT campaigners, was initially introduced to protect pastors who had issues with same-sex weddings. However, new amendments now mean that the law could extend to all businesses and employees. In other words, even hospitals could technically – and legally – refuse to provide medical care to LGBT individuals, due to their right to “religious liberty”.
“The decision by the legislature today was to make an egregious and discriminatory bill even worse,” declared the Human Rights Campaign in a statement. “(It could) permit hospitals to refuse to provide medically necessary care, or allow a taxpayer-funded service provider to discriminate by denying a job because of the applicant’s religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity.”
Given the growing divisions in the US, these aren’t tweaks that should be taken lightly. Small-minded bigotry has often been accepted via loopholes in religious small print, and American states often harbour some of the worst offenders. Even last month, Michigan defied the Supreme Court by making gay sex punishable by 15 years in prison – an unenforceable ruling that, nonetheless, sends out a very weird message.
June 26 was just the beginning. Homophobes still have the power and influence. We got to keep on struggling for civil rights!
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