Not with a toilet flush, but with a whimper, the Senate State Affairs Committee sent a sweeping religious refusal bill to the full Senate Monday evening, March 25, after several hours of testimony from Texas residents, social workers, lawyers, and numerous members of the clergy. The Senate State Affairs Committee Senate Bill 17 , filed by Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) on March 7 and co-authored by Sens. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) and Brian Birdwell (R-Fort Worth), is a far-reaching religious liberty bill that would give any professional licensed by the state of Texas – including doctors, lawyers, teachers, real estate agents, and even mold assessors – a license to discriminate under the guise of protecting “freedom of speech” regarding “sincerely held” religious beliefs. If passed into law, SB 17 would protect licensed professionals who wish to deny services to those who defy their religious beliefs. Equality Texas, the state’s largest LGBTQ rights advocacy group, has dubbed SB 17 the number one legislative threat to the state’s queer and transgender communities this session – though, if enacted, it would also affect those who practice different religions, single parents, and women seeking birth control, among others. In a press release sent Friday, March […]
