Religious freedom law a 'heterosexuals only' sign for Louisiana: Rep. Walt Leger

[rug]

April 13, 2015 at 9:14 AM
updated April 13, 2015 at 11:12 AM
By Contributing Op-Ed columnist
Walter "Walt" J. Leger III of New Orleans represents District 91 and is speaker pro tempore in the Louisiana House of Representatives.

American Founding Father John Adams said, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." I hold these words deeply in my heart as an elected official. But what I see happening today in Louisiana with the proposed Louisiana Marriage and Conscience Act is a perversion of the laws that have been established to reflect the beliefs of a moral and religious people.

Moral and religious people do not discriminate. While overly broad and intentionally ambiguous, this so-called religious freedom bill provides protections for individuals who cite their personal religious beliefs to discriminate against people. It is bigotry enshrouded in religion. This is not what the proponents would have you believe, though. They claim the bill is meant to "safeguard religious freedom" and protect individuals from "adverse treatment by the state" in retaliation for actions stemming out of their personal beliefs. Federal and state laws already exist to protect religious liberty.

I strongly believe in the freedom of religion. I myself am guided by a deep faith, and I am all the more appalled at the length to which some people will go to ignore the lessons of love and acceptance that Jesus lived and died for and twist them into an excuse to discriminate. To use a religion founded upon the premise of "love thy neighbor" to promote intolerance is deplorable.

Moral and religious principles aside, the proposed law threatens our nation's core tenets of freedom and equality. We should not and cannot cite religious freedom to allow businesses to deny service to people based on their skin color, religion or gender. So why would we allow discrimination based on sexual orientation? Would we have stores place "Heterosexuals Only" signs in their windows where "Whites Only" signs once hung?

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/04/religious_freedom_law_louisian.html

Rep. Leger is also a Democrat.

[cbayer]

1. Good for him. District 91 is Uptown and Garden District, New Orleans

This is probably the most liberal district in the state. Unfortunately, much of the rest of the legislature is reflective of a whole different ideology.

[rug]

2. That's good info to know.