The so-called "religious freedom" bills in North Carolina and
Mississippi that critics are blasting as discriminatory against gays,
lesbians and transgendered people are being perceived as the latest
attempts by conservative lawmakers to stop the stride toward equality
that the LGBT community has made in recent years.
And they're not likely to be the last.
"We're going to continue to see this play out
throughout this election year, but I don't think this is truly an
election year issue," said Matt McTighe, executive director of the
pro-LGBT group, Freedom for All Americans. "That's why we have to
reshape this fight as a fight for non-discrimination protections. …
Otherwise we'll be putting out brush fires and playing whack-a-mole for
the indefinite future."
As the LGBT community has made historic gains in the fight for equality
in recent years — culminating, most notably, with the Supreme Court's
decision last June to legalize nationwide same-sex marriage — their
victories have coincided with the rise of measures offering legal cover
to religious detractors, many of whom view open LGBT expression as a
lifestyle choice.
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