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D.C. council eliminates religious schools’ protection from gay discrimination suits
LifeSiteNews ^ | 12/15/14 | Lisa Bourne

Posted on 12/16/2014 12:42:15 PM PST by wagglebee

A vote December 2 by the Washington, D.C., City Council could compel private religious schools and universities in the nation’s capital to allow groups that oppose the schools’ moral values access to their campuses, programs, and funds.

The council voted to eliminate faith-based schools’ 25-year-old legal protections from discrimination lawsuits as part of a “human rights amendment.” Barring an act of Congress, D.C.’s religious schools will likely have to go against their religious values when it comes to permitting use to their campuses or programs.

The city’s rules hold that it’s “unlawful discriminatory practice” to limit any use of facilities, services, or programs based on “sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.” With the religious exemption, Washington D.C. religious schools had been able to restrict finances, amenities and approval from individuals and groups “organized for, or engaged in, promoting, encouraging, or condoning any homosexual act, lifestyle, orientation, or belief.”

Lawrence J. Morris, general counsel for the Catholic University of America, told LifeSiteNews the university does not anticipate making any policy changes because of the city council’s action, and is communicating with the city to advocate for religious freedom before the act becomes law.

“We are continuing to engage with the City on the matter and hope that the Mayor takes seriously his opportunity to send a message in support of religious freedom by vetoing the measure when it reaches his desk,” Morris said.

The provision at hand, The Nation’s Capital Religious Liberty and Academic Freedom Act, was written 25 years ago as result of Georgetown University’s refusal to recognize a pro-homosexual student group. It was put in place as part of a federal appropriations bill to protect religiously-affiliated schools or those “closely associated with the tenets of a religious organization.”

The city council passed the “Human Rights Amendment of 2014” on December 2, and Congress has 30 days to annul the action.

Michael Scott, director of the District of Columbia Catholic Conference, had given a written statement in October to the city council in favor of the exemption, telling the council its repeal would be an “unjustifiable violation of these schools’ rights to advance their sincerely-held religious beliefs regarding human sexuality.”

“The [Human Rights] Act disregards one of our nation’s first and most cherished freedoms, the right to exercise religion free from government interference,” Scott said.

Scott also indicated at the time that it remains to be seen whether the exemption’s repeal would, in addition to schools, also negatively affect seminaries or other religious educational programs.

Morris told LifeSiteNews if the new law repealing the religious exemption does go into effect, it would have to be read with respect for the First Amendment, “which permits us to operate our religious university in accordance with our deeply held religious beliefs.”

The university doesn’t expect to initiate a suit on the exemption, Morris said, but if it ends up in court he said the university would defend its rights and raise the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: 1stamendment; dc; homosexualagenda; liberalfascism; moralabsolutes; washingtondc
The left will not stop until homosexuality takes precedence over our Constitutional Rights.
1 posted on 12/16/2014 12:42:15 PM PST by wagglebee
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To: 185JHP; 230FMJ; AFA-Michigan; AKA Elena; APatientMan; Abathar; Absolutely Nobama; Albion Wilde; ...
Homosexual Agenda and Moral Absolutes Ping!

Freepmail wagglebee to subscribe or unsubscribe from the homosexual agenda or moral absolutes ping list.

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[ Add keyword moral absolutes to flag FR articles to this ping list ]


2 posted on 12/16/2014 12:42:51 PM PST by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: wagglebee

When POTUS repeatedly breaks the law, the law is rendered meaningless.


3 posted on 12/16/2014 12:46:05 PM PST by stephenjohnbanker (The only people in the world who fear Obama are American citizens.)
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To: wagglebee

Soon it will be illegal to not be a homo.


4 posted on 12/16/2014 12:51:05 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (Any energy source that requires a subsidy is, by definition, "unsustainable.")
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To: wagglebee

People really do need to start learning the difference between the two Constitutions - of The People, and of the corporations.

It really, really is time.


5 posted on 12/16/2014 12:51:57 PM PST by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
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To: wagglebee

Always reminds me of Genesis 19. Pushy bunch.


6 posted on 12/16/2014 12:52:22 PM PST by The Ghost of FReepers Past (Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light..... Isaiah 5:20)
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To: wagglebee

It will end when we get together and say “no”.

And mean it.

With whatever actions it requires.

And dat’s the twuth!

Remember It’s a Bug’s Life.

There are more of US than them.

Many many more.


7 posted on 12/16/2014 12:53:34 PM PST by Da Coyote
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To: wagglebee

you don’t get no religious freedom!


8 posted on 12/16/2014 12:55:01 PM PST by SoFloFreeper
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To: wagglebee

Once again we see that perversion trumps religious freedom.


9 posted on 12/16/2014 12:55:44 PM PST by Blood of Tyrants (Good Muslims, like good Nazis or good liberals, are terrible human beings.)
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To: wagglebee

DC city council apparently has never heard of the 1st amendment....


10 posted on 12/16/2014 12:59:58 PM PST by Reddy (B.O. stinks)
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To: Reddy

If you want your heterosexuality you can keep your heterosexuality,


11 posted on 12/16/2014 1:06:46 PM PST by EQAndyBuzz (You can't spell liberal without label.)
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To: The Ghost of FReepers Past

Bring them out here that we may know them.


12 posted on 12/16/2014 1:10:30 PM PST by kaehurowing
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To: wagglebee

Current members[edit]

Each of the district’s 8 wards elects 1 member of the council, and 5 members, including the chairman, are elected at large

Name Position Party Took office/ Up for reelection

Phil Mendelson Chairman Democratic 2012 2014

David Grosso At-large Independent 2013 2016

David Catania At-large Independent 1997 2014

Anita Bonds At-large Democratic 2012 2014

Vincent Orange At-large Democratic 2011 2016

Jim Graham Ward 1 Democratic 1999 2014

Jack Evans Ward 2 Democratic 1991 2016

Mary Cheh Ward 3 Democratic 2007 2014

Muriel Bowser Ward 4 Democratic 2007 2016

Kenyan McDuffie Ward 5 Democratic 2012 2014

Tommy Wells Ward 6 Democratic 2007 2014

Yvette Alexander Ward 7 Democratic 2007 2016

Vacant Ward 8 2016

Source: Wikipedia


13 posted on 12/16/2014 1:23:17 PM PST by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: kaehurowing

Yes exactly.


14 posted on 12/16/2014 1:28:01 PM PST by The Ghost of FReepers Past (Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light..... Isaiah 5:20)
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To: wagglebee
The coalition's(1) consolidation of their "victories" continues.

(1) Coalition means, blacks, Asians, Mexicans, gays, non-Christians and weird "women" of dubious gender

15 posted on 12/16/2014 1:39:06 PM PST by AEMILIUS PAULUS (It is a shame that when these people give a riot)
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To: wagglebee

If only the homosexual lobby knew of the history that exists between communists and themselves, they would realize that they are being used as the easiest means of destroying the USA. Once that has been accomplished, homosexuals will be discarded and ignored at best, or persecuted as never before at its worst.

http://distributedrepublic.net/archives/2006/05/01/the-treatment-of-homosexuals-under-communism/


16 posted on 12/16/2014 2:07:54 PM PST by Sergio (An object at rest cannot be stopped! - The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight)
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To: wagglebee

Two issues going here:1. First and foremost in the minds of queers is access to young children—this is the big lesson learned by the Catholic Church when homos infiltrated the priesthood. 2. Is, money for corrupt lawyers and judges, many of which are queers too.


17 posted on 12/17/2014 6:34:51 AM PST by Neoliberalnot (Marxism works well only with the uneducated and the unarmed.)
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