Who needs a time machine when you can read the news or scroll through some Facebook comments and find yourself smack dab in the 1950s? Ah the sweet smell of racism, homophobia, transphobia, islamophobia, you-name-it-phobia and milkshakes in the morning. Sadly, acceptance for minority groups in America, especially the LGBTA+ community hasn’t made much progress in the recent years.
There’s a whole boatload of legislation that’s been passed in an attempt to protect Americans from discrimination. Just go onto Wikipedia and you’ll see that the United States has the longest list of anti-discrimination acts, bills, and amendments out of any other country listed. But none of them federally protect members of the LGBTA+ community.
According to the United States Department of Labor, “Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, sex, or ethnic origin.” The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) prevents discrimination against employees 40 years and older. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of disabilities and requires that employers reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities who can otherwise perform a job. Under federal law, you can’t be discriminated against for almost anything, except your sexual orientation or gender identity.
In many states, a person could marry someone of the same gender and then turn around and be fired, evicted from their apartment, or denied a home loan. It doesn’t make very much sense. Though some states have passed laws protecting LGBTA+ individuals from discrimination, many states, my native Alabama included, are a little slow on the uptake.
The Bible Belt, arguably the most conservative area of the country, leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to non-discrimination laws for LGBTA+ individuals. And it’s partly because religion is the name of the game. Churches may be the only things in Alabama that outnumber Alexander Shunnarah billboards. People from all over Alabama head to their church on Sunday and spend a few hours throwing their arms towards Heaven and shouting Hallelujah. I know that there are many, many religious individuals and religious organizations that respect LGBTA+ individuals, but there are also many that don’t. And though I’m not religious, I completely and totally respect people’s customs and beliefs. I understand that it’s central to many people’s lives and existences. I don’t, however, think that religion should be an outlet for discrimination.
People carry their First Amendment rights around in their pockets like a secret weapon. They whip them out any time they need to defend saying something bigoted.
People make the argument that, because of their religious freedoms enumerated under the First Amendment, they’re allowed to discriminate against members of the gay community. But that’s just not true. No one has the right to violate someone’s civil rights in the name of religion. Every religious person and organization has the right to control their own personal beliefs and ceremonies, but their right to religious freedom ends as soon as they begin harming others. And harming others goes way past physical harm. Making a wedding cake for a gay couple or letting a gay couple eat in your restaurant doesn’t infringe on your religious freedom. Government must stay out of churches, synagogues, and mosques. Consequently, religious institutions must be kept from intruding on public life.
Discriminating against someone based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity in the name of religion isn’t right. Trying to push your religious beliefs onto LGBTA+ people by refusing them service is the same as discriminating against someone because they are black, Latino, or Muslim.
The federal government has to pass laws to protect the LGBTA+ community from blatant discrimination, because at the heart of all discrimination is homophobia, and covering up homophobia by invoking religious beliefs is cowardly and wrong.
