Alvin McEwan at Pam's House Blend outlines some of the falsehoods the Religious Right, including the American Family Association (AFA), is spreading in an attempt to stop anti-discrimination legistlation, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). As Alvin rightfully encourages readers to stand for truth by dissiminating accurate information.
Distortion: ENDA (H.R. 2981 - H.R. 3017 - S. 1584) has been changed from the "gay-only" version the House passed in 2007 to include language banning job discrimination based on "gender identity".... It would mean your child's teacher, if he were a male but "felt" like a female, could go into the women's bathroom.
TRUTH - ....over 100 localities (cities and counties) in the United States have trans-inclusive non-discrimination laws. There has never been a problem of a man "claiming to feel like a female" invading women's bathrooms. The claim is a non-issue created to scare people and distract from the true purpose of ENDA.
Distortion: ENDA is aimed at providing heightened protections for a particular sexual behavior - homosexuality. It would grant special consideration on the basis of "sexual orientation" that would not be extended to other employees in the workplace.
TRUTH - ENDA says nothing about sexual behavior.
ENDA does not grant employers or demand of them any manner of special consideration toward anyone. Period.
Distortion: ENDA violates employers' and employees' Constitutional freedoms of religion, speech and association. The proposed legislation would prohibit employers from taking their deeply held beliefs into account when making personnel decisions....
TRUTH - "Deeply held beliefs" are no excuse for discrimination of any stripe. A capable employee should not be fired simply because his or her boss has a “deeply held belief” against homosexuality. [There] is already.... [employee] protections in the cases of race, religion, gender, and national origin.
.....Distortion: [A] Christian school that was hiring a secretary, janitor or football coach would not be allowed to reject a homosexual who applied for the slot.
TRUTH - The religious exemption of the 2009 version of ENDA (Section 6) has the same exemptions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964:
This Act shall not apply to a corporation, association, educational institution, or society that is exempt from the religious discrimination provisions of title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 pursuant to section 702(a) or 703(e)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 2000e-1(a); 2000e-2(e)(2)).
Any unproven fear stories about churches being forced to hire anyone not conducive to their message or beliefs are just that - unproven fear stories.
The Far Right will use any lie or dirty trick to portray themselves as victims while they attack the most basic rights of everyine not like them.
Posted by: Paen | November 16, 2009 at 02:17 PM