The Republican Party is constantly saying that they want to expand their party to include blacks, Hispanics, and even LGBT Americans. But their actions consistently betray their promises.
For example: The Republican National Committee (RNC) has just given their blessings and backing to the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA). They are even urging Congress to pass this bill which would allow for discrimination against the LGBT community.
Remember the so-called Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) that put Indiana in the national spotlight earlier this year? Well FADA has the same basic intent: Under the guise of “religious freedom,” the law would prevent supposed “discrimination” in how the federal government awards contracts, explicitly stating that if someone is opposed to same-sex marriages, they could still get federal contracts and federal money.
Ian Thompson, legislative director for the American Civil Liberties Union said this about FADA:
“This sweeping and dangerous bill would open a Pandora’s Box of taxpayer-funded discrimination against same-sex couples and their children. Attempting to wrap this discriminatory proposal in the language of the Bill of Rights does not change the reality of its attack on our national values of fairness and equal treatment under the law for all.”
And David Stacy of the Human Rights Campaign remarked:
“Not only is it wrong to promote discrimination with taxpayers’ money, it’s even worse to allow those taxpayer funds to be used to reward discriminatory actions by federal employees. We call on members of Congress to oppose this reckless and irresponsible legislation that has nothing to do with the First Amendment and everything to do with taxpayer-funded discrimination. It’s time for Congress to prove they are not out of touch and to stand on the right side of history with the far majority of Americans who support fairness and equality for all Americans.”
Additionally, the Human Rights Campaign also pointed to specific instances of discrimination which would be allowed if the RNC is able to convince Congress to pass FADA:
- A federal employee could refuse to process tax returns, visa applications or Social Security checks for a same-sex couple if he or she felt it was against their religious beliefs.
- Organizations such as homeless shelters or drug treatment programs who receive federal funding could turn away LGBT people and face no consequences.
As usual, the GOP loves to talk about how they want to open the doors of the Republican Party to all, but yet again they prove their only real goal is to say one thing and do the opposite. And then they wonder why they are becoming more marginalized with each national election.
This article was originally published by the same author at LiberalAmerica.org.