Musings on LGBTQ Discrimination with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)

It's not the same as slavery. It's the same as  Jim Crow laws.  

Dear Christians: it's not a fucking "war." Nobody is trying to make churches illegal. The "war on Christianity" is an emotionally manipulative distortion of the truth meant to fire up your anger. Don't be played like a puppet. It's a lie. Lots of LGBTQ people are religious! (Sadly, IMO) 

Even the "scary evil" American Atheists and Freedom From Religion Foundation don't want churches to be illegal. They just want to defend our secular government so that the majority religion doesn't get preferential treatment. Just like it says in the first amendment and centuries of jurisprudence thereafter.  

 And frankly that's something even the most fervent religious zealot should agree with. Because the odds of our government picking THEIR particular sect of Christianity is vanishingly small. So the one government we all share must be fair and impartial.

Discrimination doesn't get a free pass for "minor" things like what events they'll cater or who gets to sit at the lunch counter. It doesn't matter if business owner is a bigot or a racist. That's the deal. If you want to run a for-profit business in this country, you follow the laws. And those include not acting on personal desires to discriminate. If you can't handle our country's antidiscrimination laws, Don't open a business!

The "Religious Freedom Restoration Act" is unconstitutional. Plain and simple. It's Jim Crow for LGBTQ community. And before you say, "But blacks can't hide their black identity and people can't tell who is LGBTQ!"   Remember that LGBTQ people shouldn't have to hide their identity.  Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone for a reason. It was discriminatory. When a gay or lesbian couple is out together, their identity is obvious. And they shouldn't have to hide it to avoid religions discrimination.

My Boy Scouts of America Survey Inputs

Boy Scouts of America asked me to take a survey.  Here are some of the comments I left:

I forget the exact question, but it's something like, "I enjoy participating with my son...".  I ranked it fairly high, but not the top and left this comment:

I've been Cubmaster of a large and successful Cub Scouts pack for over two years now. Many months into my service, I learned that as someone who happens to not believe any gods exist, I'm not technically welcome to serve.

Or maybe I am.  The policy is unclear. There's something about believing in things larger than ourselves. Like humanity? physics? The universe? I've not made an issue of it, but it's a lingering concern and it weighs heavily on my willingness to volunteer in the future.  I sincerely hope BSA can adopt a policy of non-discrimination soon.

If there was one thing that I would suggest to improve my Scouting experience, it would be. . .

End policies which discriminate based on beliefs and sexuality. Scouting SHOULD be a safe place for all, not another opportunity to exclude the out-group.  These policies must extend to all people: adult leaders, not just scouts.  Our kids see the bigotry wrapped in "family values".  They notice when an organization practices school-yard style exclusion.  

Discriminatory policies are a vestige of old cultural ignorance of beliefs and sexuality.  It's time to end them.