Search Form
First, enter a politician or zip code ▶
Now, choose a category ▶

Media

Blog

The Voter’s Speakeasy featuring unbiased reporting and insight into life at Vote Smart from our staff, interns, and volunteers.

The Balancing Act of Determining Discrimination

2016 May 17

The balancing act of determining discrimination

Multiple “religious freedom” bills are currently capturing the attention of state legislatures across the country. “Religious freedom” bills are proposed legislation that call for religious organizations, businesses, and individuals to be protected from penalties for declining to provide services to individuals whose lifestyle conflicts with their sincerely held religious beliefs.  After the Supreme Court decision in 2015 to legalize same-sex marriage, these bills are particularly pertinent for those who, due to their religious beliefs, feel that they cannot provide their services to LGBTQ events concerning marriage. As a result, state legislatures and their constituents are facing the question of how they should balance the rights of people of faith and those of LGBTQ people.

The pressure to strike this balance has not been isolated to this year alone. In 2015, after passing SB 101, a bill that prohibited the state from “burdening a person’s exercise of religion,” the Indiana legislature clarified a month later with SB 50 that SB 101 does not authorize a “provider” to refuse an individual on the basis of the individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. This event foreshadowed the legislative competition that was to come after the 2015 same-sex marriage decision, with churches and LGBTQ groups vying for the protection of those they represent.

Introduced in January 2016, Georgia HB 757 proposed to authorize a religious official or organization to decline to perform a ceremony or provide a service that went against their religious beliefs. The bill passed both the House ...

Read More

Tags

More Posts

A Vote Smart Guide to the "Gang of Eight"

2013 February 28

Immigration: it's an issue that's been on the minds of a lot of prominent people involved in politics lately.

Candidates Flunk 20-Year Study of Political Courage

2012 October 29

A  20-year study of over 15,000 congressional candidates and their willingness to answer questions on the major issues

VoteEasy Tool Launched in Florida

2012 October 11

Standing Your Ground Across The States

2012 June 12

The February 26 shooting of Trayvon Martin has ignited a media firestorm surrounding so-called “stand your ground” or “castle doctrine” laws in the United States. 

March Common Ground E-Newsletter

2012 March 15

Sign-up now to receive a copy of this monthly publication. 

Going for broke: could GOP convention elect nominee?

2012 March 05

What if, following Super Tuesday, all four GOP candidates are still in the game and no clear frontrunner has emerged? 

Common Ground E-Newsletter, February

2012 February 07

GOP field narrowing, but are candidates really gone?

2012 January 20

The South Carolina Republican Presidential Preference Primary is scheduled for Saturday, January, 21st and while in most of our minds there are only four candidates still vying for the GOP nomination, one look at the ballot will tell a slightly different story. 

Iowa has spoken

2012 January 05

As expected, the Iowa Caucus, the first nominating contest of the 2012 election season, proved to shake things up inside the GOP race.

Skip to top

Help us stay free for all your Fellow Americans

Just $5 from everyone reading this would do it.

1
Select an amount
2
How often
3
Payment details

Thank You!

You are about to be redirected to a secure checkout page.

Please note:

The total order amount will read $0.01. This is a card processor fee. Please know that a recurring donation of the amount and frequency that you selected will be processed and initiated tomorrow. You may see a one-time charge of $0.01 on your statement.

Continue to secure page »

1
Select an amount
2
How often
3
Payment details
Back to top