More Corporate Support For Equality Act

From the Human Rights Campaign:

Four new major American companies have become the latest to endorse the Equality Act, federal legislation that would establish full, federal equality for all LGBT Americans. In doing so, these leading companies - IBM, Oracle, Orbitz, and Symantec - made clear that they believe all LGBT Americans should have the protections from discrimination in federal law that they deserve. They join American Airlines, Apple, The Dow Chemical Company, Facebook, General Mills, Google, Levi Strauss & Co., Microsoft, and Nike as part of a national business coalition supporting comprehensive, federal LGBT non-discrimination protections. Additionally, Hewlett-Packard in Fortune recently announced its support for the Equality Act.

STATEMENT BY IBM: “IBM’s workplace culture is built on the principles of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all. We established a corporate policy on equal opportunity more than a decade before the Civil Rights Act. We championed an industry-leading policy of non-discrimination based on sexual orientation over 30 years ago, and expanded it in 2002 to cover gender identity and expression. IBM is proud to support the Equality Act and maintains our steadfast support for all employees to experience equality in the workplace."

STATEMENT BY ORBITZ: “At Orbitz we’ve been advocates of equality and inclusion since our founding in 2001. Our support for the Equality Act is consistent with our other actions, such as signing the amicus brief calling on the Supreme Court to find gay marriage bans unconstitutional.”

STATEMENT BY SYMANTEC: “At Symantec, we are proud to support full and equal rights for the LGBT community. We believe having a diversity of perspectives ensures we make better business decisions and the products and services we offer meet the needs of the broad spectrum of people we serve worldwide, which is why we couldn’t be more proud to support the expansion of legal protections. We unequivocally support the Equality Act – for the future of our business and society.”

As I've mentioned before, the Equality Act will see little traction in the current GOP-dominated Congress, but this early groundwork is critical to what most consider to be the "heaviest lift" in our movement's history.

IOWA: Ted Cruz Hires Anti-Gay Nutters Behind National Billboard Campaign

The Guardian reports:

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz has chosen a couple who are aiming to put up 1,000 billboards attacking same-sex marriage to be part of his Iowa leadership team. Betty and Richard Odgaard, who lost a civil case in January after refusing to allow a gay couple to marry at their restaurant, have already erected one anti-gay marriage billboard in Oklahoma. They were added to Cruz’s Iowa team on Tuesday. Announcing their appointment, the Cruz campaign described the Odgaards as “courageous conservatives” who will form part of “a strong leadership team to win the Iowa caucuses”. Rick Tyler, a spokesman for Cruz, said the campaign was aware of the couple’s campaign. “The Odgaards signed on with Ted Cruz and they’re supporters of ours, and when the senator heard their story and visited their property he was moved by it,” Tyler said. “So we’re well aware of their situation and their plight.”

Only one of the promised 1000 billboards has been posted.

God Launches Desperate Ad Campaign: Please Help Me Stop Those Terrible Gays

Actually this campaign was launched by the martyrs promoted last week by Ted Cruz. Via Glenn Beck's site:

The Görtz Haus Gallery, a one-stop wedding venue, restaurant and flower shop that Betty and Dick Odgaard have run for the past 13 years in Grimes, Iowa, is slated for official closure on July 31, following intense controversy over the Christian owners’ refusal to host a gay wedding. The decision to close their doors follows a contentious legal battle stemming from the Odgaards’ turning away of Lee Stafford and his fiancé Jared Ellars in 2013 — a decision that resulted in a $5,000 settlement payout to the same-sex couple. The Odgaards have since launched God’s Original Design Ministry, a 501(c)(3) organization that will post billboards across the U.S. in an effort to defend traditional marriage as an institution that is comprised of only one man and one woman.

The first billboard went up this week in Oklahoma. The Odgaards say they are planning 999 more.

Sweet Equality Cakes

From the fundraising page:

The anti-LGBTQ movement, led by anti-gay villain the Family Research Council, has raised over $500,000 dollars and counting for Sweet Cakes by Melissa, the anti-LGBTQ bakery that refused to bake a cake for the wedding of Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer. This incident sparked the dialogue about businesses refusing services to the LGBTQ community. We find the idea of rewarding bigotry silly and shameful, so in response Planting Peace, in partnership with Rachel and Laurel, is going to turn this negative message into something Sweet for LGBTQ homeless youth. Planting Peace invites you to buy a virtual cupcake. All funds raised will go toward creating a "Sweet Equality Cakes' bakery in the same area where Sweet Cakes by Melissa was located. Sweet Equality Cakes will use the bakery to provide job training for homeless LGBTQ youth.

Just over $4100 has been raised at this writing.

Martyr Touring With Ted Cruz

To promote his Iowa "Rally For Religious Liberty" Ted Cruz has interviewed the owners of Gortz Haus Gallery, who in 2013 sued the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, claiming that public accommodation laws violate their right to refuse to host same-sex weddings at their bistro. Their lawsuit came after a gay couple filed a complaint after having been turned away. In December 2014 the owners settled with complaint by paying the gay couple $5000. They then voluntarily decided to stop hosting all weddings rather than comply with Iowa law. Which makes them the perfect martyrs for Ted Cruz.

CONGRESS: Comprehensive LGBT Rights Bill Set For Introduction On Thursday

Via Chris Johnson at the Washington Blade:

A highly anticipated bill that would explicitly bar anti-LGBT discrimination in all areas of civil rights law is set for introduction in both chambers of Congress on Thursday, the Washington Blade has learned. Capitol Hill sources said lead sponsors Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) will introduce the legislation on Thursday and hold a news conference at noon on the legislation on the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol. According to a “Dear Colleague” letter dated July 20 and obtained by the Washington Blade, the legislation intends to prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination in seven areas: credit, education, employment, federal funding, housing, jury service and public accommodations. The name of the legislation is the Equality Act, which is the same as legislation introduced more than 40 years ago by the late Rep. Bella Abzug of New York City. The bill, which was the first-ever gay rights measure introduced in Congress, would have amended the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sexual orientation.

More from Dominic Holden at Buzzfeed:

Provisions of the bill to ban discrimination in places of public accommodations may draw the most scrutiny, and elevate local debates over faith. Religious freedom bills in Indiana and Arkansas became national lightning rods this spring, raising disagreement about whether business owners selling cakes or flowers to same-sex couples who are marrying compromised the moral rights of Christians. But Allison Steinberg, a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union, which advocates for LGBT rights and religious liberties, argues this should be an open and shut issue. “Open for business means open for all,” Steinberg told BuzzFeed News. “A public serving business owner can’t turn someone away because of their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, nor should they be allowed to deny someone service because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

The bill is expected to see little traction in either GOP-controlled chamber.

Headline Of The Day

Via press release:

A New York farm that hosts wedding ceremonies for profit does not have a “religious freedom” right to discriminate against same-sex couples, Americans United for Separation of Church and State says. In a friend-of-the-court brief filed yesterday with the New York Supreme Court’s appellate division, Americans United argues that the First Amendment does not permit the owners of Liberty Ridge Farm in Schaghticoke, N.Y., to refuse service to gay couples. This brief is part of AU’s Protect Thy Neighbor project, an initiative that fights on behalf of victims of religion-based discrimination.

“If you run a for-profit business in New York, you have to be open to all comers,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “And if you think the First Amendment gives you the right to turn away LGBT persons, you may soon find yourself in legal trouble – just like the owners of Liberty Ridge Farm.” The case has been ongoing since 2012, when the farm refused to allow Jennifer McCarthy and Melisa Erwin to rent the property for their wedding ceremony. The farm’s owners cited their religious beliefs as justification for the refusal. In response, the rejected couple filed a complaint.

Last year the farm was ordered to pay a $10K fine.

Discriminating Cakes

Anti-Gay Oregon Bakers Reap $352,000 From Christian Crowdfunding Site

Via the Washington Times:

A crowdfunding campaign for the Oregon bakery Sweet Cakes by Melissa has set a site record by raising $352,500 in about two months after being kicked off the GoFundMe website, far exceeding the initial goal of $150,000. Jesse Wellhoefer, founder of Continue to Give, said the Sweet Cakes effort has raised more than any previous campaign on behalf of individuals in the three-year-old crowdfunding website’s history. Mr. Wellhoefer said his company had received “lots and lots” of complaints about the Sweet Cakes crowdfunding campaign, but that he has refused to remove it. “Lots of people have been asking us to take it off,” Mr. Wellhoefer said. “Our response has been, ‘Thank you for your concern, have a great day and God bless you.’” Launched May 5, the Sweet Cakes crowdfunding campaign has received 7,651 donations and thousands of messages of support such as, “Keep on fighting,” “God bless you,” and “Don’t back down!! We are standing with you.”

The amount raised is nearly triple the fine. Plus it appears the Kleins get to keep the $110K raised before GoFundMe pulled the plug. (Tipped by JMG reader Blair)

Huckabee Doubles Down

Mike Huckabee has followed up his vow to prosecute the enforcement of public accommodation laws as a hate crime with the above image on his Facebook page. He has also published an op-ed for Fox News:

On Day One of my administration, I will use the power of the presidency to protect and defend people of all faiths in all fifty states. First, I will sign religious liberty executive orders that support traditional marriage and protect businesses, churches, non-profits, schools and universities, hospitals, and other organizations from discrimination, intimidation, civil penalties, or criminal attacks for exercising their religious beliefs. Second, I will direct the attorney general to protect religious liberty and prosecute any violations of First Amendment rights of individuals, businesses, religious organizations, institutions, and civil servants, including those who believe in traditional marriage. The Justice Department will protect and defend the rights of American citizens to follow their religious convictions without discrimination, and prosecute attacks on people of faith and their religious liberty. I will aggressively prosecute attacks against people of faith as hate crimes.

Yeah, good luck with that.

Mike Huckabee: I'll Make It A Hate Crime To Enforce Public Accommodation Laws

Wut

Another Money Beg For Oregon Bakers

First there was the GoFundMe drive, which generated $110K before it was pulled due to rules about raising money for those accused of breaking the law. Per the rules at that time, it appeared that the Kleins could keep what had been raised. Then Franklin Graham stepped in with Samaritan's Purse, a site that does not disclose amounts. And launched last night was a money beg on Continue To Give, "a faith-based giving platform." So far about $30K has been raised at Continue To Give.

OREGON: Final Ruling Says Anti-Gay Bakers Must Pay $135K To Gay Couple

Via Oregon Live:

Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian on Thursday ordered the owners of a former Gresham bakery to pay $135,000 in damages to a lesbian couple for refusing to make them a wedding cake. Avakian's ruling upheld a preliminary finding earlier this year that the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa had discriminated against the women on the basis of their sexual orientation.

Bakery owners Melissa and Aaron Klein cited their Christian beliefs against same-sex marriage in denying service. The case ignited a long-running skirmish in the nation's culture wars, pitting civil rights advocates against religious freedom proponents who argued business owners should have the right to refuse services for gay and lesbian weddings.

Avakian's final order makes clear that serving potential customers equally trumps the Kleins' religious beliefs. Under Oregon law, businesses cannot discriminate or refuse service based on sexual orientation, just as they cannot turn customers away because of race, sex, disability, age or religion, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries said in a news release.

The Klein's say they will appeal. But they'll likely never have to pay a penny due to a GoFundMe-style campaign launched by Franklin Graham.

Tennessee Store: No Gays Allowed

A hardware store in Tennessee says gay people are not allowed in the building.

Jeff Amyx, who owns Amyx Hardware & Roofing Supplies in Grainger County, added the 'No Gays Allowed' sign because gay and lesbian couples are against his religion. Amyx, who is also a baptist minister, said he realized Monday morning that homosexual people are not afraid to stand for what they believe in. He said it showed him that Christian people should be brave enough to stand for what they believe in. "They gladly stand for what they believe in, why can't I? They believe their way is right, I believe it's wrong. But yet I'm going to take more persecution than them because I'm standing for what I believe in," Amyx said. He said he has no plans to take the sign down.

If tradition holds, there will be a million shitty Yelp reviews followed by alleged death threats and a GoFundMe campaign. And then the martyr tour with the Family Duggar Research Duggar Council Duggar Duggar. (Tipped by JMG reader Keith)

RELATED:  Tennessee does not protect its LGBT residents from business discrimination. LGBT-inclusive public accommodation protections have been enacted by the cities of Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, and Davidson County.

MARYLAND: DJ Company Refuses To Work Birthday Party For Gay Man

Via the Washington Post:

First there was the New Mexico wedding photographer. Then there was the Indiana pizza maker. Now there is the Maryland disc jockey. The national debate about how to balance religious conscience protections and gay equality flared in the large, mostly liberal Washington, D.C., suburb of Montgomery County Friday, when Dani Tsakounis tried to help her brother hire Ultrasound Deejays for a party. An owner of the business told Tsakounis he would not provide the DJ because Tsakounis’s brother, a Silver Spring therapist, is married to another man and the birthday party they are hosting is for their 60-year-old roommate, who is also gay. “I just said, ‘We won’t be able to do it, we’re a Christian organization and it would go against our faith, I’m sorry,’” Michael Lampiris, co-owner of Ultrasound Deejays, said Friday. Tom Tsakounis, 46, was so upset when his sister told him that he posted the news on his neighborhood listserv, prompting calls of sympathy from neighbors. He also registered a complaint with the Montgomery County Human Rights Commission, which hears cases of alleged discrimination.

From the company's website:

We will not play music that contains profanity or vulgarity. We will not support a new teen dance style called "freaking." We will not tolerate provocative dancing or actions. We will not participate with strippers or be involved in any event with strippers. We will not be involved in any event with fortune tellers, psychics, or magicians. We will not be involved in any event that celebrates Halloween. We will not be involved in any event involving homosexual celebration or activity. We follow biblical morality. We do not work on Sundays.

Ultrasound reportedly contracts with about 40 DJs and admits to having rejected other events where gays would be in attendance. Its owner claims to have never heard of Maryland's public accommodations law and appears unconcerned about legal action.

ALABAMA: House Kills LGBT Rights Bill

Via the Montgomery Advertiser:

A House committee Wednesday killed a bill that would have banned discrimination against individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Christopher England, D-Tuscaloosa [PHOTO], would have added the classes to state protections against discrimination in employment, housing, accommodations, financial transactions and voting. “I believe in order to protect those classifications, they need to be enumerated,” England told the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday afternoon. “There is some case history that if it’s not enumerated, it’s not protected.” The committee voted to carry it over, killing it for the remainder of the session. Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, who moved to have it carried over, said he “did not want anyone discriminated against,” but said that he had concerns about how the legislation would interact with existing statutes in Alabama. “It’s creating a new protected class that our nation does not recognize, much less Alabama,” he said. “When you are talking about those types of issues, this is much larger than marriage. This is far broader than that.”

Rep. Patricia Todd, the state's only openly gay legislator, reacted: "We haven’t passed any bad legislation, and that’s great. Alabama is further ahead than Arkansas, Texas and other states. But now it’s time to move forward with some positive legislation that protects people in the workplace, and that’s what this bill would do."

Tony Perkins Raves About Bobby Jindal

"If liberals thought they could lie their way to victory in Louisiana, they've got another thing coming. After steamrolling leaders in Indiana, the Left has met its match in Governor Bobby Jindal (R). Frustrated by the legislators' cowardice, Governor Jindal heeded the wishes of 67 percent of the state and issued an executive order to do what the state house would not: stop state-sponsored persecution against people of faith. Governor Jindal, who broke the news with me on yesterday's Washington Watch, was frustrated -- not only because the Marriage and Conscience Act was misrepresented, but because it never even got a vote! As Governor Jindal pointed out, 'All Christians are asking for is the right to live in America according to their beliefs.' And thanks to him, they'll have it -- at least in Louisiana." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via email.

LOUISIANA: Bobby Jindal Issues Executive Order Legalizing Anti-Gay Discrimination

Earlier today a Louisiana House committee rejected the bill that would have legalized anti-gay discrimination. That rejection came after big business, including IBM, denounced the bill. Unswayed, Gov. Bobby Jindal has already followed through on his vow to issue an executive order that bypasses the state legislature. Dominic Holden reports on the reactions at Buzzfeed:

“This executive order falls into category of unnecessary, gratuitous and discriminatory,” Sainz told BuzzFeed News. “On the same day that Louisiana legislators had the good sense to turn back discrimination, Governor Jindal, who’s facing one of the lowest approval ratings in state history, decided to promote his presidential fortunes by championing ignorance. He’s on the wrong side of this issue and will no doubt be on the wrong side of history.” In contrast, Alliance Defending Freedom, which backs religious freedom laws, said in a statement to BuzzFeed News, “We are happy that Governor Jindal supports religious freedom and that nobody should be punished for believing that marriage is between one man and one woman.

The order cites Hobby Lobby. An excerpt:

SECTION 1: All departments, commissions, boards, agencies, and political subdivisions of the state are authorized and directed to take cognizance of the definition of “person” contained in La. R.S. 1:10 when complying with the Preservation of Religious Freedom Act (La. R.S. 13:5230-5242), the interpretation of the virtually identical federal law definition contained in 1 USC 1 by the United States Supreme Court in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby in its holding that the federal government is prohibited from requiring a “person” to act in contravention of a sincerely held religious belief, and that the definition of “person” includes individuals, non-profit, or for-profit corporations.

SECTION 2: All departments, commissions, boards, agencies, and political subdivisions of the state are authorized and directed to comply with the restrictions placed upon government action in the Preservation of Religious Freedom Act and, including more specifically, on the basis that such person acts in accordance with his religious belief that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, shall take no adverse action.

LIVE AUDIO: Tony Perkins Hosts Bobby Jindal After Anti-Gay Marriage Bill Fails

Starting now. Listen here.

UPDATE: Tony Perkins has the sadz.

“These ten legislators voted today against freedom and against two-thirds of Louisianans who support the Marriage and Conscience Act,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council and a supporter of the bill. “This is a failure of leadership and goes to the heart of what’s wrong with American politics today.” Perkins was referring to a WPA poll commissioned by the Louisiana Family Forum and FRC that indicated 67 percent of likely voters supported the bill. Even more shocking – 63 percent of Democrats supported the bill. “These elected leaders effectively endorsed government discrimination against individuals and nonprofits simply for believing in marriage between a man and a woman,” Perkins said. “No person or nonprofit should lose tax exempt status, face disqualification, lose a professional license or be punished by the government simply for believing what President Obama believed just three years ago – that marriage is the union of a man and a woman.”