North Carolina Republicans are trying to make it clear that they would prefer the state be openly hostile to gay people.
On Wednesday, two Mecklenburg County Represetatives, Rep. Jacqueline Schaffer and Rep. Dan Bishop, filed the “NC Religious Freedom Restoration Act.” The bill would allow any person or public or private entity to invoke their “religious freedom” when it is burdened by, for example, having to interact with a member of the LGBT community.
“North Carolina’s leaders have officially launched their efforts to dress up anti-LGBT discrimination by calling it “religious freedom,” said Chris Sgro, the executive director of Equality NC, North Carolina’s largest LGBT advocacy group.
“While the bill does not expressly mention the LGBT community, we’ve seen this cynical tactic play out in many parts of the country in many different ways. Now these leaders are bringing this divisive debate to our state where North Carolina’s true values of fairness and equality are under attack.”
The bill follows S2, which would allow the state’s magistrates to recuse themselves from their duties based on a religious objection to marrying gay couples.
“In the wake of threats from our state’s most extreme anti-LGBT leaders, we ask our supporters to join us right now as we prepare to fight this and any attacks on LGBT North Carolinians during this legislative session,” Sgro said.
