Three Anti-LGBT Hells Move Forward Today: Alabama’s Adoption Law, Trump’s Religious Liberties EO, Goodbye Obamacare?

It was a rough day for sane people today.  We not only had to deal with one setback, but three. From Health Care to State anti-LGBT laws to giving biblical followers the right to take part in politics and practice their "religious liberties," the US took another step back from the "Great Again" finish line.

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First up, Alabama and its ability to go back in time in regard to adoption practices. We didn't realize there was an overabundance of heterosexual couples looking to adopt in the Yellowhammer State.  Foolish gays.

Alabama’s H.B. 24 bill, deceptively titled the “Child Placing Agency Inclusion Act,” enshrines discrimination into Alabama law by allowing some state-licensed adoption and foster care agencies to reject qualified prospective LGBTQ adoptive or foster parents based on the agency’s religious beliefs. An amendment was added in the Senate and agreed to by the House that limits that discriminatory exemption to agencies that do not receive state or federal funding.

“We are deeply disappointed that the legislature and the governor took on this unnecessary, discriminatory bill instead of focusing on how to improve the lives of all Alabamians, no matter who they are or whom they love,” said Eva Kendrick, HRC Alabama state director. “The intent of this law is clear: to discriminate, causing the most harm to children in Alabama’s child welfare system. It’s time our lawmakers — from the legislature to the Governor’s Mansion — stop using LGBTQ people as pawns to win cheap political points.”

H.B. 24 allows state-licensed child-placing agencies to disregard the best interest of children, and turn away qualified Alabamians seeking to care for a child in need — including LGBTQ couples, interfaith couples, single parents, married couples in which one prospective parent has previously been divorced, or other parents to whom the agency has a religious objection. While the Senate-led amendment limits this discriminatory exemption to child welfare agencies that do not receive state or federal funds, there is still no question that LGBTQ people and others will continue to be subjected to discrimination under this harmful law. – HRC.org

We're waiting to see the first mixed race couple be denied the right to adopt. What? That wouldn't happen in Alabama? Hey, if they feel it's for the best interest of the children.

We also had the lovely United States House of Representatives move forward with putting 24 million Americans' health care in jeopardy. The repeal of Obamacare / Affordable Care Act has moved onto the US Senate.

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Los Angeles LGBT Center Denounces U.S. House Republicans’ Cruel and Un-American Repeal of the Affordable Care Act

LOS ANGELES, May 4, 2017— In response to the U.S. House of Representatives’ vote to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Director of Policy and Community Building Dave Garcia issued the following statement:

“If it becomes law, this so-called ‘win’ for Speaker Ryan and President Trump will be a huge loss for the country. Women are among the biggest losers because the bill would not only defund Planned Parenthood—which provides essential health services to women throughout the country—but it also specifies that pregnancies and sexual assault are pre-existing conditions!

“There are many other losers: millions of seniors will be forced to pay an age tax; millions of people with pre-existing conditions, including HIV, will lose coverage because of skyrocketing premiums; and millions of people will lose essential benefits like emergency services, hospitalization, and mental health services. Worst of all, it will leave as many as 24 million Americans with no coverage at all.

“What the bill doesn’t do is fulfill Trump’s hollow promise to address one of the huge healthcare concerns for Americans: the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs. So, we will join the AARP, AMA, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Planned Parenthood, and countless other organizations dedicated to protecting the health of Americans. We will do everything in our power to fight this attack on American values and to defeat this bill in the Senate.”

And then we move on to religion and Trump. Religion, a hat that our leader puts on when he feels he needs to reach out to those that believe in god.

 

 

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The order, signed during a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden, directs the Internal Revenue Service to exercise "maximum enforcement discretion" over the so-called Johnson amendment, which prevents churches and other tax-exempt religious organizations from endorsing or opposing political candidates. The order also provides "regulatory relief" for organizations that object on religious grounds to a provision in Obamacare that mandates employers provide certain health services, including coverage for contraception.

"The LGBT Equality Caucus will remain vigilant for any attempt to undermine the hard-fought gains our community has made in the past decade," Executive Director Roddy Flynn told CNN Thursday. "We plan on closely monitoring the implementation and interpretation of the executive order."
"This administration has attacked the rights of transgender students and programs assisting LGBT elders," he added. "We cannot trust that this order will be narrowly utilized to not directly harm our community. We will be watching."
 
Other leaders claimed the order will allow Attorney General Jeff Sessions to use the Justice Department to discriminate against LGBT Americans. – CNN.com

Will the Senate make Obamacare a thing of the past? Will Congress overturn Trump's "religious liberties" disgrace?

How many more years, months, days, hours?

h/t: HRC.org, CNN.com

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