Posted on 03/28/2016 9:22:46 AM PDT by NYer
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Monday said he will veto legislation shielding opponents of same-sex marriage, after a groundswell of opposition from companies threatening to boycott the state if it became law.
The Republican announced his decision during a news conference in his office at the Georgia Capitol, saying, “I have examined the protections that this bill proposes to provide to the faith based community and I can find no examples of any of those circumstances occurring in our state."
Deal added, “I do not think that we have to discriminate against anyone to protect the faith-based community in Georgia.”
Republican majorities passed the bill to broadly protect people whose actions were rooted in their religion. It also would have protected clergy who won’t perform gay marriages and people who won’t attend a wedding for religious reasons.
Churches and affiliated religious groups could have used their faith as an argument for refusing to serve or hire someone.
The bill’s opponents said it excused discrimination and could trample local ordinances protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Coca-Cola and other big-name Georgia companies joined the NFL, prominent Hollywood figures and film studios urging Deal to reject the proposal. Some threatened to boycott the state if Deal didn’t veto.
Deal, in his second and final term, heatedly said that those threats and questions about “my convictions and my character” from some in the religious community were misguided.
“I do not respond very well to insults or to threats,” he said. “The people of Georgia deserve a leader who will make sound judgments based on solid reasons that are not inflamed by emotion.”
Deal said he would sign the bill had it passed in its original form, which was limited to protecting clergy who declined to perform same-sex marriages. He said his decision to reject the bill was “about the character of our state and the character of our people. Georgia is a welcoming state; it is full of loving, kind and generous people.”
Georgia’s General Assembly already has left the Capitol for the year, adjourning after midnight on Thursday.
Lawmakers can ask the governor to convene a special session, but need a three-fifths majority in both the House and Senate.
If they can reach that threshold, overriding a governor’s veto requires a two-thirds vote in each chamber. Republicans don’t hold that margin in either the House or Senate, and all Democrats voted against the bill. Several Republicans in the House and one in the House also cast dissenting votes.
Representatives for House Speaker David Ralston and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle didn’t immediately respond to request for comment on Deal’s veto or their next steps.
National gay-rights organizations immediately hailed Deal’s decision.
“We thank Governor Deal for doing the right thing,” said Matt McTighe, Freedom for All Americans executive director. “The governor understands that while our freedom of religion is of critical importance, it doesn’t mean there’s a need for harmful exemptions that can lead to discrimination."
FYI, ping!
Sniveling coward.
“I have examined the protections that this bill proposes to provide to the faith based community and I can find no examples of any of those circumstances occurring in our state YET”.
Big Anus wins again, Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion loses again.
It is NOT DISCRIMINATING to simply secure religious freedom. Those who claim ‘discrimination’ simply don’t follow the beliefs of the religious. STOP BEING BULLIED BY BULLIES!
We are one step closer to Losing Christianity In The United States. It becomes more and more obvious that the Republican party is no different from the Democrat/Socialist party. Just follow the money!
This asshat refuses to take proactive actions. I’m sure he would also veto any legislation that sought to ban Sharia law, too
This asshat refuses to take proactive actions. I’m sure he would also veto any legislation that sought to ban Sharia law, too
I’ve heard some liberals say that laws banning Sharia are “unnecessary” and based on that, there’s no need to pass laws banning Sharia.
Georgia governor vetoes religious exemptions bill on gay marriage
Pedophiles and Sexual Deviants have every right to use Bathrooms and Showers with Children!
The Check must have cleared.
SELL OUT!
The Georgia governor isn’t a serious thinker.
This bill was not about denying service. It was about forcing a business owner to engage in behavior directly contrary to his/her religion.
IOW, the cake owner was supposed to sell cakes to anyone, but a customer could not force that cake owner to decorate a cake with the words “Baal Is God” if that particular part of the contract was objectionable to the owner.
This will probably be best served in the future by contracts for services which spell out what will and won’t be done by any contractor.
It’s what I’d do. I’d see general cakes and folks could buy them and FINISH the decorating themselves. If they wanted to contract with my separate faith-based non-profit, after signing a statement of non-liability and acknowledgement of beliefs, they could contract for that business to put religious messages/decorations on that cake consistent with the signed statements.
The Georgia governor isn’t a serious thinker.
This bill was not about denying service. It was about forcing a business owner to engage in behavior directly contrary to his/her religion.
IOW, the cake owner was supposed to sell cakes to anyone, but a customer could not force that cake owner to decorate a cake with the words “Baal Is God” if that particular part of the contract was objectionable to the owner.
This will probably be best served in the future by contracts for services which spell out what will and won’t be done by any contractor.
It’s what I’d do. I’d see general cakes and folks could buy them and FINISH the decorating themselves. If they wanted to contract with my separate faith-based non-profit, after signing a statement of non-liability and acknowledgement of beliefs, they could contract for that business to put religious messages/decorations on that cake consistent with the signed statements.
We all knew Deal was a sniveling coward here in Ga. He was my representative in my state district and was as sleazy as they come. Held my nose and voted for him. The NFL and the NBA pulled the “queer” card and got him to veto the pro family bill.
All promotion of sodomy promotes satanism and paganism. it is the promotion of religion over the only rational religion: Christianity. Our US Constitution is only compatible with Christian Ethics since Right Reason is essential for “Just Law” and all Just Laws promote ONLY “public virtue” or else are “null and void”.
All public officials have a NATURAL DUTY to declare unjust (evil) laws “null and void”. All promotion of such filthy, degrading, irrational, satanic “acts” like sodomy are “null and void”.
There should be no reason for an added “protection” to our Individual Constitutional Rights from God. These NATURAL Rights based on Right Reason (science) never come from the State and irrational, vile Satanists who eject Reason and Just Law for irrational vice.
All arbitrary, evil “law” needs to be declared “null and void” yesterday. The Justices need to be impeached for forcing Satanism on us and removing Right Reason from our Justice (virtue) System based only on Christian Ethics-—not on irrational paganism and satanism or Marxism (State declares good and evil).
Or the gay mafia threatened to out him.
Georgia definitely needs a new governor, ASAP!
Yet another Republican siding against those who elected him all over again ...
Except when those threats involve money! then he'll cave in a minute.
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