After two s of lobbyg for the Employment Non-Discrimatn Act, the Natnal Gay and Lbian Task Force has cid to whdraw s support for the bill. In the wake of the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby cisn, the group fears that the ENDA's broad relig exemptn would allow pani to discrimate agast employe for their sexual orientatn or genr inty. Melissa Block speaks wh the group's executive director, Rae Carey, about the move.
Contents:
- HOW HOBBY LOBBY SPL THE LEFT AND SET BACK GAY RIGHTS
- DO THE HOBBY LOBBY DECISN THREATEN GAY RIGHTS?
- THE HOBBY LOBBY RULG IS SURPRISGLY GOOD FOR GAYS
- HOBBY LOBBY RULG PROMPTS GAY RIGHTS GROUPS TO REJECT PRIZED BILL
- THE LEGACY OF THE HOBBY LOBBY CASE: PROTECTG ANTI-GAY DISCRIMATN?
HOW HOBBY LOBBY SPL THE LEFT AND SET BACK GAY RIGHTS
It’s crazy that this even needs to be said, but all LGBTQ people should boytt the Herage of Pri until they make sure none of the sponsors fund anti-gay legislatn. " Moreover, before Exxon acquired Mobil 1999, Mobile had "polici to protect discrimatn agast gay men and lbians, and even offered benefs to same-sex upl, " but Exxon took that all away, acrdg to LGBT news se the Dallas perhaps a new low for the pany, the Human Right Campaign gave the massive employer a sre of below zero on s 2012 Corporate Equaly Inx, which measur LGBT equaly and workplace protectns.
Urban OutftersIn addn to perpetratg many a fashn fx pas, Urban Outfters has also earned a reputatn as beg a pany that is bad for women and members of the gay muny. The clothg cha's CEO is notorly anti-gay and don't seem to md the pany's severe unrreprentatn of women when to learship posns. Cracker BarrelCracker Barrel has been tratg advot wh s overtly racist and anti-gay practic for years.
DO THE HOBBY LOBBY DECISN THREATEN GAY RIGHTS?
Carl's burger cha — which has no problem sellg s food wh sex — was found by vehemently anti-choice, anti-gay csar Carl Karcher. Gay rights groups dubbed his hamburgers 'bigot burgers' after Karcher supported a 1978 proposn that would have allowed school boards to fire teachers who were gay or advoted homosexualy. Levi'sThe jean manufacturer is a well-known supporter of marriage equaly, whose efforts rulted a 2010 GLAAD award for a pro-gay advertisement, and posive marks HRC's Buyer's Gui.
But the major nflict that has epted the wake of that cisn has been between relig eedom and gay rights.
The rultg ntroversy has spl gay-rights and fah groups on the left, wh wi-rangg polil fallout that some now fear uld hurt both chapter of the ntroversy is set to close on Monday, when Print Obama plans to sign a long-awaed executive orr banng feral ntractors om discrimatg agast gays and lbians, acrdg to a Whe Hoe official. Many proment gay-rights groups have now whdrawn their support om a top legislative prry, the Employment Non-Discrimatn Act, over the relig exemptn ntas. “The relig exemptn bate has now been polarized to the pot where people are sayg, ‘All or nothg, ’” said Lanae Erickson Hatalsky, director of social policy for the center-left thk tank Third Way, whose rearch and activism on gay marriage have been stmental to that e’s mastream acceptance.
THE HOBBY LOBBY RULG IS SURPRISGLY GOOD FOR GAYS
Some gay-rights and civil-liberti advot had lled on Obama to elimate that provisn. But the new orr will not clu a broar relig exemptn that would allow nonprof ntractors to refe employment to gays if they viewed as nsistent wh their fah. (ENDA’s exemptn don’t apply to for-prof pani like Hobby Lobby, but would allow a Catholic school, for example, to fire a gay teacher or janor.
HOBBY LOBBY RULG PROMPTS GAY RIGHTS GROUPS TO REJECT PRIZED BILL
) Such an exemptn ma many gay-rights mpaigners nervo, but most accepted as a necsary polil promise to get the vot of morate Catholic Bishops reneged on the al, g out opposn to ENDA 2010 spe the exemptn. Many of the Republins who voted for the bill, such as Utah Senator Orr Hatch, ced the exemptn as the reason they uld support the Republin-ntrolled Hoe clg to brg ENDA up for a vote, gay groups lled on Obama to take executive actn by applyg s provisns to feral ntractors.
Gay-rights groups lobbied agast cludg an exemptn the executive orr. On July 8, the Amerin Civil Liberti Unn, Gay & Lbian Advot & Defenrs, Lambda Legal, the Natnal Center for Lbian Rights, and the Transgenr Law Center announced they would no longer support ENDA as long as clud the relig exemptn. The Gay & Lbian Task Force even lled on Obama to veto ENDA if reached his sk wh the exemptn language gay-rights voic urged utn.
THE LEGACY OF THE HOBBY LOBBY CASE: PROTECTG ANTI-GAY DISCRIMATN?
The Human Rights Campaign, the natn’s largt gay-rights anizatn, said still supported ENDA but would fight for a narrower relig exemptn the bill. Third Way issued a memo tled “Don’t Abandon ENDA Over Its Relig Exemptn, ” notg that even wh the exemptn, the bill would reprent huge progrs and ensure protectn for the vast majory of currently vulnerable LGBT the past , a growg partnership between gay-rights groups and relig lears has been stmental to the advancement of gay rights, both terms of policy and social acceptance. The partnership was mutually beneficial: Church’ image benefed om showg a more tolerant face to the world, while gay-rights mpaigners benefed om showg they weren’t opposed to fah.
“I hope the larger progrsive muny is begng to unrstand that we need people of fah for all of our stggl, ” Alan van Capelle, who helped get gay-marriage passed New York as head of the Empire State Pri Agenda, told me last year.