Tebben Gill Lopez/The Mirror
Since preschool, we have been taught that our country guarantees freedom of expression, religion and belief, along with several other basic rights, no questions asked.
So how did a bill denying these basic rights to American citizens pass the Kansas House of Representatives on Feb. 12, by 72-49? It was supported by religion.
The Kansas-Bill 2453 states that no individual or religious institution can be forced by the government to provide their services “if it would be contrary to the sincerely held religious beliefs of the individual or religious entity regarding sex or gender.”
This proposal is the basic destruction of individualism stemming from the proposer’s, and its supporter’s, inability to tolerate the lifestyle of another human being at the bare minimum.
Under this bill, individuals, businesses and government employees would be immune from legal reprisal for refusing services, ranging from social services like counseling, to protective services, to basic facilities and accommodations.
According to IBTimes, although the bill is described as protecting religious freedom by its conservative republicans, LGBT organizations see it as condoning open discrimination.
Using religious freedom as the bill’s supporting backbone is a smear toward our foundation as a free country. It is the trivial downplaying of our basic amendments that enable the bill’s supporters to say “My religion does not recognize your marriage, so I refuse to deal with you.”
This bill is an example of conservative ignorance about people’s sexual orientations because it thrives off of the illegitimate excuse of one specific belief being the “right
belief.”
Our own amendments are being misused in order to allow one group of people to oppress another. In this case, we are simply mimicking our past of having alienated individuals on the basis of color, but this time it is on the basis of sexual orientation. We should be learning from our past so as to not make the same mistakes again.
Furthermore, in what way does this bill even allow our society to progress? Understand that the issues of sex and gender aren’t something which can be interpreted by one set doctrine in this day and age.
Pope Francis of the Catholic Church refrains from passing judgement on gay priests who sincerely take celibacy. Furthermore, his iconic question as stated by Huffington Post, “Who am I to judge?” demonstrates a very moral and liberal mindset influenced from our society.
Ultimately, this bill is treading on the separation of church and state. We already pressure our justice system with issues of a teacher being fired from a Catholic institution or a woman being denied legal custody over her partner’s children because they are gay.
But to use religion as an excuse to not tolerate basic individuals is absolutely inconceivable. I have no doubt that this bill will be defeated by the Kansas Senate.
Its mere proposition and support proves to society that there are those who lack understanding of what respect to an individual means. If we must categorize and judge based on sexual orientation and therefore chose to deny basic human rights because of this excuse, then we are consenting to the violation of our constitutional rights.
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