Representative Chris Stewart sponsored the “Fairness for All” bill in an attempt to balance LGBTQ+ rights and religious freedom. The bill was meant to recreate the relationship between queer rights and religious freedom that Utah has. Utah is one of the only religious and conservative state that overwhelmingly supports protections for housing and employment for queer people. “Religious freedom and LGBT rights don’t have to be in a lose-lose battle for protections in America,” said Chris Stewart. While the “Fairness for All” bill was made with sincerity, it falls short. Here’s why.
- It doesn’t give LGBTQ+ rights the same protections as other groups.
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Currently, churches must pay taxes if they preach against interracial marriage. In many politician’s opinions, including Beto O’Rourke, religious identity and sexuality should have the same protections. By making the LGBTQ+ community have fewer protections it is insinuating that they are deserving of less.
- Chris Stewart didn’t vote in favor of the Equality Act
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Chris Stewart has a bad history with LGBT+ issues. Despite sponsoring this bill to increase LGBT+ rights, Representative Christ Stewart voted against the Equality Act. He believed the Equality Act didn’t account for religious freedoms, and that Americans have “a sincerely held belief that religious faith and principles also matter.”
- The bill isn’t likely to get bipartisan support, it’s one selling point.
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The “Equality for All” bill has been marketed as a solution to bipartisan squabbling. According to Vox News, it’s falling short. They believe the bill is too conservative and religious for most democrats, and too liberal for most conservatives. Though the bill has yet to be voted on, it will be interesting to see how much support it garners.
- It may allow for discrimination in adoption services.
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Under the “Fairness for All” Act, religious-affiliated adoption services would be able to turn away same-sex couples, as they are able to now. Under the Equality Act, this discrimination would not be legal.
While well-intentioned, the “Fairness for All” Act has flaws. It may not receive enough bi-partisan support to pass and might fall short in protecting LGBTQ+ rights.