House Bills Target Churches and People of Faith
During the General Assembly session there are moments when legislators will debate and vote on pivotal legislation that will alter the course of Virginia’s future, and this week is one of those moments. Beginning tomorrow, the House will debate and vote on two bills HB 1663 (D-Sickles) and HB 1049 (D-Levine) which elevate the fluid concepts of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” (SOGI) to protected classes in every part of our state law. In states where these measures have been passed they’ve been used to specifically target organizations and people of deep faith with the intent to tear down their ministries, livelihoods and reputations.
CLICK HERE now to urge your Delegate to Vote NO on House Bills 1663 and 1049!
HB 1663 (D-Sickles) incorporates “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” (SOGI) as specially protected statuses in public and private employment, public accommodations, housing, appointments, credit, and the Virginia Human Rights Act. It also creates both civil and government-initiated causes of action to sue people claimed to be in violation, as well as add draconian and far-reaching powers to the Attorney General to subpoena, investigate, and prosecute anyone in relation to any claims of such discrimination. This is clearly designed to target and destroy any dissenters from the sexual revolution.
HB 1049 (D-Levine) – specifically targets all faith-based organizations who contract with the state by adding “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as special protected statuses in employment, public accommodation, public contracting, apprenticeship programs, housing, banking, and insurance, as well as the Virginia Human Rights Act.
If these bills are passed and become law there’s no doubt that cases like cake baker Jack Phillips in Colorado and florist Barronelle Stutzman in Washington, who refused to lend their artistic talents to same-sex weddings, will become common in Virginia. Already, owners of a wedding photography and videography business in Virginia, Brett and Alex Sandridge, have received backlash after politely declining their services to a same-sex couple. (Read our blog “The Wedding Wars Come To Virginia”)
What’s more, every church, faith-based organization, and person of faith, should understand that the only purpose of these bills is to empower the government to strong-arm them into abandoning their beliefs about marriage and sexuality. Under these bills, churches, private Christian schools, as well as Christian colleges and universities like Liberty University, will be forced to allow biological males who identify as females to have access to female facilities and even room with students of the opposite sex. And despite a tremendous victory last week to defeat a bill that would’ve removed the religious conscience protections for faith-based child placement agencies, these bills, in particular HB 1049, would accomplish the very same objective and prohibit these agencies from being able to contract with the state and receive funding to carry out their mission.
In every instance involving non-discrimination laws based on one’s sexual orientation or gender identity they result in intolerant applications that punish people of faith who have sincerely held religious views on marriage and sexuality.
Because some of these bad SOGI bills have had bi-partisan support, in some cases unanimous support, it’s even more important that you contact your Delegate and tell them that you oppose these bills and any policies which add fluid terms and categories into our anti-discrimination policies that will directly target faith-based organizations and people of faith.
The Family Foundation is working hard to find ways to stop or amend these dangerous bills, so please continue to pray that legislators will be open to changes that allow people of faith to live out their deeply held beliefs.
CLICK HERE to urge your Delegate to Oppose these dangerous policies!
