Utah Republican Mike Lee previously authored the First Amendment Defense Act, which attempted to legalize many forms of anti-LGBTQ discrimination.
A U.S. Senator is speaking out in opposition after the House of Representatives passed the historic Equality Act Friday afternoon. The legislation expands existing civil rights laws to protect LGBTQ people in areas including employment, housing, banking and credit, education, public accommodations, federally-funded programs, and jury service.
Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, who won his seat as the Tea Party movement rose to power, took time Friday to attack the passage of the Equality Act, which won just eight Republican votes in the House. And he’s getting scorched, mocked, and slammed on social media for his remarks.
In December, Lee blocked the renomination of a lesbian to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and said her views on marriage were “radical.”
Today he says the legislation, which heads to the Senate but has little chance of being brought to the floor for a vote, is unnecessary – that LGBTQ people don’t need protection because Americans are becoming more “tolerant.”
Americans are becoming more tolerant every day, which is why the Equality Act is so counterproductive. It unnecessarily pits communities against each other and divides our nation when patience and understanding are so sorely needed.
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) May 17, 2019
Lee, a religious extremist, thinks legislation protecting certain groups of people is “counterproductive” and divisive. Yet when the Supreme Court was getting ready to rule that same-sex couples have the right to marry, he authored a bill providing special religious rights to people of faith to allow them to discriminate against LGBTQ people, and especially same-sex couples.
Lee’s sweeping First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) would have allowed employers to deny spousal and parental rights, including those given under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. It would also allow non-profits and even government contractors the right to discriminate against anyone who is LGBTQ.
Senator Lee, who once was rumored to be on President Donald Trump’s list of possible Supreme Court nominees, opposes same-sex marriage. He’s said so very clearly: “I do not support gay marriage.”
Here’s how some are responding to Senator Lee’s remarks on the Equality Act:
Written by David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement. Image via Facebook
