Some LGBT groups not on board with the Equality Act

http://www.washingtonblade.com/2015/07/21/some-lgbt-advocates-not-on-board-with-equality-act/

For starters, whether LCCHR itself will support the legislation is unclear. Even prior to the announced plan to introduce the bill, sources have told the Washington Blade amending the Civil Rights Act to include LGBT protections makes some longtime civil rights advocates uneasy because it potentially opens the historic law up to harmful amendments.

Although LCCHR has supported iterations of ENDA in the past, the organization didn’t respond to the Washington Blade’s request for comment on whether the organization will support the Equality Act upon its introduction.

Wade Henderson, president of the LCCHR, is quoted in a Wall Street Journal article earlier this month as expressing concern about the bill.

“Some are concerned about opening up arguably the most important statute Congress has ever enacted for the issue of racial discrimination,” Henderson said.

Heather Cronk, co-director of the LGBT grassroots group GetEQUAL, has previously objected to the idea of amending the Civil Rights Act to enact LGBT non-discrimination protections and told the Blade on Tuesday she’s “not sure” if her organization would be able to support the Equality Act.
- See more at: http://www.washingtonblade.com/2015/07/21/some-lgbt-advocates-not-on-board-with-equality-act/#sthash.b8BcmPlf.dpuf

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Now for my take I think that amending the Civil Rights Act is the only way to go. Any stand alone law would wind up being weaker due to religious exemptions that already exist (see Hobby Lobby). The religious exemption of the Civil Rights Act is way narrower and has survived SCOTUS scrutiny. The EEOC has already taken the position that LGBT are covered for employment by the Civil Rights Act we would just be cementing that and applying it to housing and public accommodations. I under stand the fear of amendments which means we need to be willing to jettison the law if a sufficiently bad amendment is added.