The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is pushing new legislation that would amend the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include “sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation.” But pro-family organizations like the Family Research Council (FRC) warn that the proposed changes could end up criminalizing Christians and other religious people whose convictions stand in opposition to non-traditional expressions of human sexuality.

House Resolution 2282 is simply about “letting Americans live their lives without fear of discrimination,” according to the HRC. But those outside of the LGBTQ fold see its implications differently, particularly as they pertain to religious freedom. If passed, HR 2282 would “expressly undermine,” to borrow the verbiage of the FRC, the liberty of faith-based folks who would rather not be forced to participate in same-sex “marriages” and other pronouncements of homosexual-bisexual-transgender “pride.”

Introduced by U.S. Representative David Cicilline (D-Rhode Island), an open homosexual, HR 2282 would prohibit employers with 15 or more employees from “discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity, subject to the same exceptions and conditions that currently apply to unlawful employment practices based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin,” according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). But its tenets go well beyond this.

As pointed out by Life Site News, the bill’s far-reaching impact would greatly expand the potential for lawsuits to be filed against private individuals who choose of their own volition to not affirm behaviors that they believe to be immoral before God. This is already happening under state and local “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” laws that LGBTQ activists are taking full advantage of to persecute anyone who disagrees with them.

This has already been seen in places like Colorado, for instance, where a Court of Appeals back in 2015 decided that the demands of homosexuals trump the religious liberty and free speech rights of Christians. Wedding cake bakeries, photographers, t-shirt makers, bar owners, you name it – if a homosexual feels infringed by someone else, he or she (or it) will have new precedence under HR 2282 to throw a hissy fit within the legal system and win, causing all sorts of trouble for the non-LGBTQ community.

“If the ‘Inequality Act’ passes, attorneys will likely be required to represent homosexuals in dissolving their same-sex ‘marriages,’ Christian schools will likely be required to offer transgendered students the bathroom of their choice, and Christian homeless shelters will likely be required to accommodate same-sex couples,” warns the FRC, referring to the so-called “Equality Act” in colloquial terms that define its true intent.

Google, Target, American Airlines, Best Buy, and many others join hands to push for passage of HR 2282

As is to be expected, the push to pass HR 2282 is mostly coming from Democrats, some 194 of which have signed on as co-sponsors. There are also two Republicans onboard – Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida and Scott Taylor of Virginia. But the biggest push seems to be coming from corporate America.

As explained by HRC, HR 2282 probably will not pass without the help of some of the biggest names in consumerism. Search engine giant Google, for instance, is helping to lead the way in exerting its web dominance as a tool of influence and persuasion towards this end, as is big box giant Target, which has launched a “#takepride” campaign featuring rainbows on some of its clothing. American Airlines has also signed onto the agenda, as has Best Buy – both of these companies now acting as corporate mouthpieces for the homosexual lobby to push for special rights for members of the LGBTQ community at the potential expense of religious freedom.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com

Congress.gov