It is with great sadness and frustration that I must write another blog that speaks to yet another attack on gay Kansans by the Kansas Legislature. What are Kansas Gays and Lesbians doing to deserve this?
Last year about this time, I wrote about a proposed law that was in the Kansas Legislatures, specifically the House Judiciary Committee:
http://blog462.blogspot.com/2011/02/kansas-preservation-of-religious.html?showComment=1298212771693#c4964292147089069708
Thankfully last years Bill was stopped do to significant public outrage, it never got a vote in committee. Fast forward 1 year to Feb 2012 and the same Bill as last year was proposed in the House Judiciary committee again.
The Bill, HB2260 PASSED out of the committee and will now be voted on by the full House on or about March 13th.
This Bill will allow the infamous anti gay Fred Phelps of Topeka and other anti-gay representatives from the Kansas Family Policy Council, which is part of the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family, to "sue" Gay Kansans, cities, schools and universities if they become a "burden" to their religion-which we already know we are.
The "key" to this proposed law is that they can only sue people or groups who "are not" from a protected class. Kansas currently protects persons based on Religion, Gender, Origin, Race, Familial Status and Disability....So guess who the Kansas Legislature is targeting? They are singling out and targeting Gay and Lesbian Kansans, as they are not a protected class.
To answer the question why is the Kansas Legislature targeting Gay persons- here is the answer- The Kansas Equality Coalition, a true grass roots GLBT Equality group, has been working with the Kansas Legislature for close to 6 years to try and pass Employment and Housing non-discrimination laws that would protect GLBT Kansans from discrimination as of today Employers and Landlords can fire or evict gay persons for NO reason and it is legal. Our proposed laws would struggle to even get hearings in committees and in most years the proposed law never made it out of the committees. Kansas Equality Coalition decided to take their fight for EQUALITY to a local level. In 2012 they have made 4 requests to local cities to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the cities list of protected classes- something that has hit a nerve with the "religious fringe" who obviously has the ear of the Kansas Legislature this year.
Additionally, as currently written, HB2260 would WIPE OUT any local ordinances - TAKE AWAY any existing protections gay persons have anywhere in Kansas, including schools and universities, setting back Equality in Kansas at least 50 years.
If this law passes, which it is looking more and more likely, PROTECTIONS for Gay and Lesbian Kansans will be non-existent and would not be allowed to be worked on locally, without the threat of cities and Equality groups being sued by religious groups who are against Equality. This would allow for the continued discrimination of Gay and Lesbian Kansans which currently exists and is obviously being condoned by the State.
The mere existence of this law should be enough proof for anyone that discrimination is occurring in Kansas, as the law itself is discriminatory and only affect the GLBT communities of Kansas.
Every legislator who VOTES FOR this Bill in the Kansas House, when it comes up next week, should be targeted and ousted for promoting discrimination. This is 2012 not 1960.
If you want to follow this Bill click on the legislative link below as it is always updated: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2011_12/measures/hb2260/
For my fiscal conservative friends, this proposed law has what they call a fiscal note attached to it, the fiscal note estimated the cost to the taxpayers at $100,000 plus per year - depending how many cases are filed..lets be real - do you think the anti-gay religious crowd wont use this law if passed..each case at $100,000 per year.. As an example KEC is working with 5 cities trying to work on non-discrimination ordinances that $500,000 the right there not including all the GLBT non-discrimination policies from school districts and universities we could be well into the Millions...
Does Kansas need this DISCRIMINATORY LAW aimed at taking away rights from Gay and Lesbian Kansans and costing the state Millions of dollars?....Who do you know that would be affected by this ridiculous law?
If religious groups need to villainies people, why not find another group, why have they settled on Gay persons? Contrary to what these so called preachers preach on Sundays, gay persons don't choose their sexual orientation. Just like the preachers didn't choose to be heterosexual, I didn't choose to be gay...If these religious groups need to go after someone to justify their existence why not go after those who "choose" to eat shell fish and touch the skin of a pig when playing football, as those to are both abominations according to the Bible. You know why they wont do that???? Because Red Lobster, Joes Crab Shack and the NFL have money and tons of attorneys to defend ridiculous claims... Kansas Gays dont- they are typically poor or apolitical...the intelligent ones have already fled the persecution...
As a friend of mine said last year, Bigotry wrapped in prayer is still Bigotry...how true...
If you want to help support the Kansas Equality Coalition and their fight against the Kansas Legislature, you can donate or join by clicking the link below. All monies help pay for our State Lobbyist and help local chapters to fight for GLBT Equality.
www.kansasequalitycoalition.org/join
Thank for listening....
I welcome your comments...
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