If HR 5, known as the so-called “Equality Act,” becomes law, instances like what happened to Jane (pseudo name) will become commonplace and legal.
Jane contracted an agency called “Autism Spectrum Therapies” (AST) to get rehabilitative and behavior services for her eight-year-old son who has autism. AST, like many autism support agencies, receives federal funding to help parents and their autistic children. The previous behavior technician left the position, so AST started to look for a replacement.
The AST supervisor called Jane later and told her they had a new behavior technician, a woman, who will arrive the next Monday. On that Monday, a man dressed like a woman arrived at her door! Jane called AST and said she did not want her child working with a man dressed as a woman. Then Jane was told she was discriminating against the “woman in question.” A few days later when it was time to sign the renewal contract, Jane was told she could not interview the technician before that person was selected to work with her son. Then two ATS staff members later called her to terminate her contract. Jane and her husband are Christian ministers. Like any parent, they want to protect their son. To allow a man dressed as a woman in the family home to work one-on-one with their eight-year-old autistic son was unacceptable. Now these loving parents have no more help for their son.
Today the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing began on the “Equality Act.” It is notable that a significant number of legislators from other committees gave testimonies against this bill. They included Senator Marsha Blackburn, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, Senator James Lankford, and Representative Vicky Hartzler – all Republicans.
Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith said, “This misnamed ‘Equality Act’ is misnamed because although this act purports the prevention of discrimination, it actually causes it by undermining hard-fought protections for women by changing the meaning of the word ‘sex’ under the federal law to encompass gender identity.”
Senator Lankford said, “For the first time since 1993, this bill would exclude the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Congress would be taking affirmative action to not include RFRA protections.”
Mary Rice Hasson, the Kate O’Beirne Fellow in Catholic Studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. stated, “’The Equality Act’ goes where no federal law has gone before: it redefines ‘sex’ with no reference to ‘biological distinctions between male and female’—which was the premise of the Supreme Court’s Bostock decision. Instead, it defines sex as ‘stereotypes,’ ‘sex characteristics’ (breasts, genitals, etc.), pregnancy, sexual desires (‘sexual orientation’) and self-perception (‘gender identity’). ‘Gender identity,’ in turn, is defined by characteristics ‘regardless of…sex.’ ‘The Equality
Act’ thus cements into the law the ideological belief that identity is wholly self-defined, regardless of the sexed body. It suppresses the opposing belief—and punishes those who would dissent.”
It is also notable that the Democrats had as their star witness the president of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ lobbying organization in the country. HRC sent a list of 85 demands to Joe Biden to accomplish, including the revocation of tax-exemption for churches and religious organizations that refuse to promote their radical LGBTQ agenda.
The “Equality Act” would amend many federal laws by striking the word “sex,” and inserting “sex, sexual orientation, gender identity.” This amendment erases many sex-based protections for women. The Senate version states the “Q” in LGBTQ stands for “Queer,” which includes the entire universe of about 550 paraphilias outside of LGBT – one of which is pedophilia (euphemistically called “minor-attracted persons”).
Immutable biological differences and unique attributes between sexes will become illusory because birth sex is irrelevant under this bill. Biological men who subjectively assert they “identify as a woman” will be able to use women’s restrooms, dressing rooms, locker rooms, and showers. Men will be legally allowed to bunk with women on overnight stays at church, mission, school and athletic events, at domestic abuse shelters, or in prison cells. Biological men will also be able to compete in sports against girls and women.
The “Equality Act” will also make abortion a federal right and override every state law. This bill also revokes the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Today, Sen. Lindsay Graham got the president of HRC to admit this bill will apply to churches.
Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver, “Parents have the right to protect their children from potential sexual predators. They especially have the right to protect their autistic children from being confused, manipulated, or abused. The ‘Equality Act’ will make this tragic situation with a precious autistic child a common occurrence.”
For more information, visit www.LC.org/HR5.
