Kansas
lawmakers are considering a bill from Kansas state Rep. Charles
Macheers (pictured) that would protect businesses, groups, and
individuals who don't want to serve gay married couples for religious
reasons, the AP reports:
The legislator pushing the bill says it's
designed to protect religious freedom, and Republican Gov. Sam
Brownback is receptive to the idea, though he hasn't yet studied the
proposal enough to offer a formal endorsement.
However, critics say the measure promotes
discrimination against gays and lesbians, and is so broadly written
that it could apply to any couple, gay or straight, with a
less-than-traditional union.
The Kansas House's Federal and State
Affairs Committee scheduled a hearing for Tuesday morning on the
measure. It's not clear how quickly the committee might act on it.
Said Brownback: "I think it's something we that need to protect, our people's religious liberties and religious rights."
According to the ACLU the bill's interpretation could be broad:
Companies offering benefits to legally
married gay couples or domestic partners could have their policies
blocked by individual employees. She said businesses could make
decisions about benefits for straight couples based on whether an owner
doesn't think a marriage is traditional enough.
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