The Emperor Has No Clothes

I try not to be overly political in this blog. I mean as much as political person can be. But the 2015 Utah legislative year is winding down. It's crazy long hours, last minute compromises, and a bunch of cranky legislators.

Last night, I got into it over Senate Bill 296 - the Anti-Discrimination and Religious Freedom Amendments. In theory this law gives LGBT people safety from being fired. In exchange, religious organizations, people of the "cloth," the Boy Scouts of America, and companies with fewer than 15 employees are exempt. I called it the Swiss Cheese Anti-Discrimination Except bill. It passed both chambers, historically providing theoretical protection for LGBT people for the first time in Utah history.

I was up until the very wee hours of the morning trying to convince both legislators and members of the Facebook community that this was not the law they felt it was. The evening got pretty heated - but I stayed above the fray for the most part.

In the end, both my state senator and state representative, one a Republican and the other Democrat, voted for the bill. They both felt it was flawed but gave some protection rather than none. OK, I can understand their reasoning.

However, it was followed by Senate Bill 297, which on the surface allows public employees to opt out of performing all weddings (except for those of family members) if they will not perform a same-gender marriage based on their deeply-held religious beliefs. On the surface, that seems reasonable. Only problem, it goes a step further: based on one's deeply-held religious beliefs, this law allows a medical doctor to refuse a gay person treatment, a teacher to refuse to educate girls, a security service to refuse to patrol an ethnic neighborhood, all without fear of reprisal. In short, all of the "rights" won in SB 296 are invalidated - so long as that discrimination is based on deeply-held religious beliefs.

The great compromises offered to get the anti-discrimination bill passed are basically swept away, like the lies they actually were.

I took both my of my "voices" on Capitol Hill to task for their "Aye" votes. Both felt that it was fair compromise. Both are good, decent people and good legislators. I know this because both have agreed to meet - the three of us - after the session (and they've had some time to decompress) to discuss LGBT issues and what pro-LGBT laws they may be able to cosponsor together in the 2016 session.

In the meantime, establishment LGBT activists and some allies are trumpeting the success of the new anti-discrimination law. The rest of us just see the Emperor's ass.