Sunday, March 27, 2016

All You Need Is Love - Don't Discriminate Against LGBTQ

The Missouri Legislature is reconvening Monday. The Senate, after forcing the cessation of a 39 hour filibuster, passed SJR 39, a measure specifically targeting members of the LGBTQ community for discrimination.  The measure is going before the Missouri House. Stop SJR 39! There are many brave legislators, both Republicans and Democrats, who oppose this legislation. Missouri religious freedom is already protected by several Missouri statutes, the Missouri Constitution and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Don't be fooled. This resolution, SJR39, is designed to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. This is not who we, as Missourians, are.

Remember the Beatles, who were ahead of their time. All you need is love.

All you need is love, all together now
All you need is love, everybody
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need

5 comments:

  1. Mrs. Bratcher,

    I appreciate your opinion and perspective on this issue. However, I do not agree with you. Are you saying that several Missouri Statutes, the Missouri Constitution and the First Amendment of the United States Constitution already protects persons from being forcibly engaged in a practice that is contrary to their religious views?

    I fear if your answer is no, then without this bill, it will be the religious that are discriminated against. Creating the awful mexican standoff, where discrimination is inevitable. Either discriminate against the views of the religious, or discriminate against the LGBTQ. This law seems like a reasonable compromise. But I would be interested in hearing your opinion.

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  2. How absurd is this becoming? You're claiming that religious freedom gives you the right to deny others their rights.


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    1. Byron,

      That is not the claim, that is the question. The same claim could be made inversely. I am also asking if sexual freedom gives you the right to deny others their rights. What if both are true, or both are false?

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  3. The LGBTQ Community is not denying you your right to worship in the church of your choosing, just the ability to discriminate against the LGBTQ's, & to use religion as your excuse.

    Discriminating against these people is not a Christian Principle recognized by most Christians. It is a radical notion only advocated by their lunatic fringe, like the Westboro Baptist Church.

    That is the most important point here; this is not the teachings of Jesus.

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    1. Byron,

      I appreciate your response. I think you are missing the broader philosophical question I am raising. I know Mrs. Bratcher personally. She has done great work for my family, and I find her to be a very thoughtful, intelligent woman. Even if I don't always agree with her, I continue to be interested in her thoughts.

      It is impossible for me to debate the "Christian Principle" with you. I do not wish for this discussion to devolve into the radicalism of other blogs. Including the radicalism you espouse on a regular basis. For those reasons, I thank you again for your response, but do not wish to delve into the "rights" and "wrongs" of religions. In fact, it is rather irrelevant to the discussion. The question is, what is the legislative branch to do, when it appears you cannot avoid discriminating against a group. Should they exercise Legislative Restraint? It is undeniable, that to some, they feel a compulsion to act against their consciences, it is also undeniable that some feel institutionally discriminated against. I take both of these as matters of perceptual reality, unlike the position you seem to take, which discards the perception of conscience held by large numbers of people.

      To be clear, I empathize with both sides of the argument. And being the pragmatist I am, concede that it seems impossible for the State to take any action without causing harm to one side or the other. So the question is, what is the Legislative branch to do?

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