ActRight

Oppose HR 5, The So-Called Equality Act

I am writing to express my opposition to HR 5, the so-called "Equality Act." This legislation would enact special legal rights in federal law for a class of people based on their sexuality and sexual practices. It is wrong to grant special rights to a narrow class of people that are not available to the rest of society. Moreover, the legislation punishes people of faith by stripping them of the protections of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act whenever a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender individual makes a claim of discrimination. This will be used as a powerful tool by LGBT activists to target people of religious faith in an ongoing crusade to force acceptance of their political agenda.

HR 5 redefines the term "sex" under federal law to strip it of its biological nature and instead turn it into an amorphous concept based on feelings, emotions, identity claims and alleged stereotypes. Outrageously, it declares the belief – held throughout human history since the dawn of time, and practiced by virtually every major religion, that marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman – to be a "sex stereotype." Since sex discrimination would include so-called discrimination based on sex stereotypes, the legislation purports to make acting on one's belief in traditional marriage to be illegal discrimination.

Among the many other problems with HR 5 is the provision that would redefine "sex" to include "gender identity," thus treating biological men as if they were women, allowing these biological men to force themselves into the most intimate, private areas of life reserved for women, such as showers, bathrooms, locker rooms and changing areas. This risks the privacy and safety of vulnerable girls and women and has a broad and wide-ranging impact on public and private activity, including in schools, community centers, fitness facilities, businesses, homeless and women's shelters, and countless other situations.

The attack on religion by HR 5 is particularly odious. The US constitution guarantees the religious liberty of all Americans; it says nothing about special rights for LGBT people. Many Americans, including faithful Christians, do not wish to personally be involved in participating in a same-sex ceremony that violates their religious beliefs. In the Masterpiece Cakeshop ruling from last year, the US Supreme Court has held that government cannot dismiss their rights and attempt to force their participation despite their religious beliefs. This legislation attempts to undermine those protections and stack the deck against people with deeply held religious beliefs.

There are too many problems with this legislation to detail them all. Suffice it to say that the so-called "Equality Act" is anything but equal. It amounts to special legal rights being granted to a favored political constituency in order to advance a political agenda that many, if not most, Americans oppose. The place for these issues to be aired and addressed is the public square, not Congress.

For all these reasons, and more, I urge you to reject HR 5 when it comes before you.