First bathrooms, then mental health services, now the government. On Wednesday, Republican Congress heads rejected bipartisan efforts, led by U.S. Reps. Charlie Dent and Adam Smith, to destroy the Russell Amendment. The Russell Amendment is part of the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) proposed by U.S. Rep. Steve Russell.
The ridiculous legislation is an extensive “religious liberty” bill that would authorize federal contractors to be prejudiced against LGBT employees.
If this provision were passed, it would threaten the Obama administration’s executive order that bans employment discrimination by federal contractors. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement:
“It is simply stunning that House Republicans have decided to make targeting LGBT Americans a priority in the Defense Authorization bill…. Speaker Ryan’s pledges of regular order, transparency, and openness continue to ring more hollow each and every day.”
I have one question for Republican lawmakers: Seriously? The fact that this issue is recurring in politics is not only frustrating, but also extremely disappointing. Especially when you think about the numerous attempts by political figures, and others, to quite simply make life difficult for LGBT individuals.
The Human Rights Campaign’s Government Affairs Director, David Stacy, had this to say:
“We are extremely disappointed that the House Republican Leadership has refused to allow a debate and vote on a bipartisan amendment to strike a discriminatory, harmful provision that undercuts protections for LGBT employees of federal contractors and grantees. The House is poised to join the ranks of North Carolina, Mississippi, Indiana and other states that are targeting LGBT Americans.”
The Department of Defense is not the only institution that will be allowed to treat LGBTs unfairly. The Russell Amendments permits LGBT discrimination in all federal agencies.
Along with being vaguely-written, the unethical legislation could undermine existing federal nondiscrimination provisions that safeguard workers against prejudice on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and more.
Naturally, people on Twitter expressed their disgust with the controversial bill:
.@RepByrne is wrong. Sec. 1094 (the so-called Russell Amendment) endangers civil rights and authorizes taxpayer-funded discrimination.
— Ian Thompson (IT) ? (@iantDC) May 18, 2016
Do NOT advance #RussellAmendment via Nat'l Defense Authorization Act! You are MY rep, @DarrellIssa & I'm telling you NO!! #discrimination
— Lo Williams (@lowms) May 2, 2016
https://twitter.com/SnarktopusRex/status/726110551571484673
Maybe I’m just old-fashioned, but every human, whether transgender, gay, bi, straight, what have you, deserves fair and equal treatment in public (and private for that matter), especially in the workplace.
Lately, the U.S. seems like it is taking a step back in time, and not in a feel-good sentimental way. To make matters worse, Republican congressmen are making progress seem unachievable at this point.
However, the more people fight for LGBT rights and equality, the more likely the conversation will be heard.
Featured image via Getty by Max Whittaker.
