Posted on 07/22/2015 4:17:30 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Ted Olson and David Boies, the prominent attorneys who helped overturn California’s same-sex marriage ban, are backing a new federal law that would extend anti-discrimination protections to LGBT Americans.
Olson, a Republican former solicitor general under President George W. Bush, and Boies, who represented Al Gore in Bush v. Gore, are urging Republicans and Democrats in Congress to support the Equality Act, which will be introduced on Thusday. The law, whose language was provided to the Advocate, would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act and other federal law to protect LGBT people from discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and other arenas.
“The introduction of the Equality Act marks a historic moment for our country,” Boies and Olson said in a statement provided to POLITICO by the Human Rights Campaign, which is advocating on behalf of the bill. “The patchwork of protections in this country has provided a crazy quilt of laws, threatening the livelihood of many of the same couples who fought so long and so hard to have their marriages recognized. That’s why we support the idea of a comprehensive approach to non-discrimination protections that would embrace LGBT people as other groups who are protected by our civil rights laws.”
Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia have similar protections based on sexual orientation — only 19 of these states include protections for transgendered people — though the Obama administration has used various executive orders to extend protections across the country in certain arenas.
The Equality Act, sponsored by Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), as well as Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), would nationalize such protections and make punishments for discrimination against LGBT people similar to punishments for the same sort of discrimination based on race. Laws like the Equality Act have been opposed by many conservatives on the grounds that they infringe on the religious liberty of business owners whose beliefs prohibit them from serving same-sex couples or participating in their weddings.
Olson is the first prominent Republican to come out in favor of the Equality Act.
“We urge Republicans and Democrats to once again come together to support this important legislation that provides the same protections to LGBT people as other Americans,” the two attorneys added.
Human Rights Campaign released to POLITICO a poll the group commissioned that showed that 64 percent of Republicans favor “protecting gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people from discrimination in employment.” Among white millennials, support for such protections was 86 percent, with 65 percent saying they are less likely to support a candidate who does not favor them.
HRC hired Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, a Democratic firm, to conduct the survey.
No Democratic presidential candidate has yet endorsed the Equality Act since its introduction, though Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders have all spoken out in favor of extending anti-discrimination protections to LGBT citizens.
Thus far no Republican presidential candidate has come out in favor of a sweeping federal law like the Equality Act. Different contenders have shown varying levels of ease in discussing whether or not sexual orientation should be treated legally as an immutable characteristic akin to race or ethnicity.
The political fallout from the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decision has pushed many conservatives in the opposite direction: More than 100 congressional Republicans, for instance, have cosponsored legislation that would prevent the federal government from ending the tax-exempt status of an organization that refuses to recognize same-sex marriages based on religious belief. A number of GOP presidential candidates — including Sens. Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio — support that bill.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush weighed in on the issue of anti-discrimination bans during a visit last week to a tech start-up in California. When asked by a gay employee whether or not he favors anti-discrimination protections for LGBT citizens, Bush responded that a florist “should be obligated to sell [a gay couple] flowers; doing otherwise would be discriminatory.” He added, though, that a florist objecting to same-sex marriage should not be obligated to participate in the wedding ceremony itself.
The employee followed up by asking for Bush’s stance on California’s state law, which protects LGBT citizens from discrimination in housing, public accommodations and employment. “I think this should be done state-by-state, I totally agree with that,” Bush said.
A spokesperson for the Florida Republican declined to clarify whether or not he would support such a law’s passage in his home state.
Last Sunday, after Scott Walker’s multiple statements refusing to call on the Boy Scouts of America to end their ban on gay scout leaders, the Wisconsin governor made headlines on CNN’s “State of the Union” when he said “I don’t know” when asked whether or not he believes being gay is a choice.
Walker’s remarks appeared in various Democratic fundraising emails and attacks, but failed to create the same stir as previous comments from Dr. Ben Carson, who said on CNN that being gay is “absolutely” a choice because “a lot of people who go into prison, go into prison straight and when they come out they’re gay.”
Gregory Angelo, executive director of the pro-LGBT Log Cabin Republicans, said he believes such answers about discrimination and whether or not being LGBT is a choice could haunt Republican candidates during the 2016 election.
“They’re largely seen by voters as a cultural litmus test to see how in touch candidates are with modern America,” said Angelo, who added that Carson’s comments will likely be the most harmful outside of the party’s socially conservative base.
Yep
[[Olson, a Republican former solicitor general under President George W. Bush]]
No Republicans there.
I believe in the right of some one to associate with who they want to and for them to make value judgments on those behaviors. other then making sure that the law treats everyone equal I oppose all anti discrimination laws because its preemies is that I don’t have the right to make a values judgment. I have nothing against people that are gay but I think everyone should have the right to make the judgment of the behavior and not have there response to it legislated.
Boy, did Olson join the Dark Side. How sad and pathetic.
The country is in freefall and all we get is hand wringing over sexual perverts, global warming, indignant black moochers and whining about backlash against muslim terrorists.
Yep. The LGBT crowd won’t be satisfied until EVERYONE accepts and applauds the twisted lifestyle they have chosen, and everything is turned upside down to accommodate them. I want no part of it. It’s sick.
I was thinking the same..Where is MY protection? I am sick and tired of homosexual perversion being thrown in my face and I am somehow the “bad guy” because I don’t want to “embrace” perversion? Homosexuality has NO place in “nature”; none. When the collapse happens, there will be no rules protecting these sicko’s and they won’t be able to re-produce (hence the nature comment). Natural law will dictate they will die off. As to our still barely functioning society, I am flat out tired of allowing their behavior anymore. You want to stick your meat in some guys loaf launcher or munch on carpet or whatever; KEEP IT TO YOURSELF!!!! I don’t want to know about it just the same as I don’t want YOU knowing about my private life..
(not directed at you Fungi..just ranting)
He may be in the closet can't rationalize anything else.
Hey, I feel your pain. —Bill BJ Clinton.
I wonder if he was in there with John Roberts all along. The loss of Barbara allowed him to free his inner homo. Sad if that’s what is driving this.
The Uniparty has spoken. The Chamber of Commerce is pleased. Don’t like it? Hey, you can LEAVE!
It must be ammended to not apply to queers with aids
If you keep your private life private, there is nothing to protect.
How about protecting the conscience rights of traditional religious believers Olson?
Must be Olsen and Bois are planning a wedding... Together.
Heterosexuality should be fined and regulated.
make all the laws you want!
a queer is a queer, and ain’t nothing but a queer, and should they decide to get inside my self-determined safe zone on the sidewalk, and scream at me about their foolishness ...
(reader guess the rest).
It looks like the Wrong Olson died in 911. What a sick bastard.
Could be, there are some pretty gay pictures of john out there.
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