12 November 2017

Why No NDO Here In Mesa ????

Before the General Election last year Mesa Mayor John Giles clearly said publicly that  "It's the right thing to do" . . . 
One year later that assertion and affoirmation is getting nowhere here in the most conservative in America, probably for good reason when LGBTQ rights are under challenge by certain alt-right Bible-Belt evangelicals together with persistent opposition from The Church of Jesus Christ of The Latter-Day Saints.
The powers-that-be here in Mesa appear to be waiting for The State of Arizona to take a stand on all-inclusive civil rights guaranteed by the force-of-law while one issue part of that conversation is getting heard in front of the U.S. Supreme Court:
Nearly 1,300 Faith Leaders File SCOTUS Brief Saying Religious Beliefs Do Not Justify Discrimination
By Adam Polaski • October 31, 2017 • 7:07 pm
"Nearly 1,300 clergy and faith leaders representing 500,000 congregants from approximately 50 unique faith traditions across the U.S. joined together this week to send a clear message that businesses open to the public must serve all. The clergy filed a friend-of-the-court brief to the Supreme Court in the Masterpiece Cakeshop vs. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case.
More than 85 national religious leaders signed the brief including the leaders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Unitarian Universalist Association, the Metropolitan Community Church, the Alliance of Baptists, Muslims for Progressive Values, and Reconstructionist Judaism. The presidents of ten seminaries and the leaders of 40 religious organizations also signed the brief.
The brief filed this week highlights the dangers of the exemptions being sought in this case and makes the argument that there should not be a license to discriminate based on faith.
Source > https://www.freedomforallamericans.org
The brief states, in part:
“It is both morally wrong and not constitutionally required to permit blanket discrimination in the public marketplace for goods and services based on the personal religious beliefs of merchants with respect to same-sex couples’ rights and relationships. Amici believe that, to the contrary, public accommodation laws should be applied on the basis of religiously neutral principles of equal protection under the law.”
According to the brief, its signers “represent traditions rooted in centuries of American history and who affirm religious liberty, human dignity, and equal rights.” 
Read the full brief here.
The crux of  the argument is that there is no conflict between freedom of religion and equality.
Freedom for All Americans is proud to have worked with the Religious Institute, the National LGBTQ Task Force, and many state and local organizations on supporting outreach for the brief.

No comments:

Some Articles from Techdirt FYI

  Mozilla Drops New Privacy Partner After CEO Found Tethered To Data Brokers Privacy from the  this-is-why-we-can't-have-nice-things  de...