LAMBDA LEGAL ARCHIVE SITETHIS SITE IS NO LONGER MAINTAINED. TO SEE OUR MOST RECENT CASES AND NEWS, VISITNEW LAMBDALEGAL.ORG
Lambda Legal Condemns Passage of Discriminatory Religious Refusal Bills in Michigan and North Carolina
Find Your State
Know the laws in your state that protect LGBT people and people living with HIV.
Legal Help Desk
“These measures are in some ways worse than what happened in Indiana because Michigan and North Carolina will be using tax dollars to support such discrimination.”
Lisa Hardaway, lhardaway@lambdalegal.org; 973-902-9298
(June 12, 2015 New York, NY)--Following news that antigay bills have become law in both Michigan and North Carolina, Legal Director and Eden/Rushing Chair of Lambda Legal Jon Davidson issued the following statement:
“Today was a discouraging day for equality and justice. Michigan today enacted a law that allows state-funded adoption and foster care agencies to turn people away on religious grounds, and North Carolina enacted a law allowing government magistrates to refuse to perform civil marriage ceremonies for couples whose union they object to on religious grounds. For anyone with delusions that the work for LGBT rights is close to being done, think again. These laws will be used to deny loving homes to Michigan children in need and to subject same-sex couples to the indignity of being turned away by government-funded agencies in Michigan and by government officials in North Carolina. That that discrimination is based on religion is no excuse. Discrimination inspired by religious views is still discrimination.
“These measures are in some ways worse than what happened in Indiana because Michigan and North Carolina will be using tax dollars to support such discrimination. Good public policy helps people—it shouldn’t hurt them.
“We expect Lambda Legal’s Help Desk will light up with calls from those who suffer discrimination imposed by these laws, and we stand ready to help.”
To reach Lambda Legal’s Help Desk visit: lambdalegal.org/help
###