Dozens of states have passed or are considering laws safeguarding religious freedom, protecting girls and women’s sports, and shielding children from life-changing and body-damaging transgender medical procedures. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) says the number of measures introduced this year means the country is in a “state of crisis.”  

HRC – and other LGBT activist groups – call this legislation “anti-LGBT,” and they’re enlisting businesses to pressure states against passing such measures. The organization states, “So far, 87 companies have signed the Business Statement Opposing Anti-LGBTQ State Legislation stating their clear opposition to harmful legislation aimed at restricting the access of LGBTQ people in society (their emphasis).”

Companies signing the letter, that oppose preserving religious freedom, saving girls sports and protecting children, include big names such as: Airbnb, Amazon, American Airlines, Apple, AT&T, Capital One, Dell, Facebook, Hilton, IBM, Marriott, Microsoft, Pepsi, Pfizer, Uber and Verizon.

HRC President David Alphonso recently held an “emergency press conference on anti-LGBTQ bills.” He said, “Today, we are here to ring the alarm bells, and to highlight for all of you, and the general public, that we are in a state of crisis and that we need action now.”

“Right now, today, hundreds of bills have been introduced in state legislatures around the country that attempt to erase transgender people and attempt to make LGBTQ people second-class citizens,” he added. He explained that the legislative efforts were also “deeply rooted in racism, as well as sexism.”

One type of legislation Alphonso is referring to is often labeled “Save Girls Sports” or “Fairness in Women’s Sports.” These have been signed into law this year in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and West Virginia. Governors in North Dakota and Kansas vetoed the legislation, and Montana and West Virginia have this legislation awaiting a governor’s signature. In a press release, HRC said that 66 bills were introduced this year that would protect girls and women’s sports.

Such laws do not “erase” those struggling with gender identity issues, they simply preserve girls and women’s sports for biological females. In doing so they protect opportunities for girls and women to compete, while also guarding their privacy and safety on sports teams.

The president of HRC also listed legislation that would shield minors from body-disfiguring transgender interventions such as puberty blockers, opposite-sex hormones and surgeries. Arkansas was the first state to pass such a law, but HRC said that 35 similar bills were introduced in different states this year.

These laws protect children from experimental, damaging procedures. “There is not a single long-term study to demonstrate the safety or efficacy of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries for transgender-believing youth,” reports the American College of Pediatricians, which explains that such procedures stop natural physical development and may cause permanent physical harm, mental health problems and other health risks.

HRC evidently believes that children, adolescents and teens are capable of providing informed consent to such risky, life-altering treatments. Christians, on the other hand, believe it’s best to help children struggling with gender dysphoria to accept and celebrate their biological sex.

In addition, the organization pointed to measures that would safeguard religious freedom, saying that 43 such bills were introduced this legislative session. Montana, for example, recently passed the “Montana Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” which prohibits government from substantially burdening the free exercise of religion unless it has a compelling government interest at stake.

Activist groups call these bills “religious refusal bills” or “a license to discriminate.” Since 1993, 21 states have enacted these laws, while nine states have such provisions mandated by court decisions.

HRC is the largest LGBT activist group in the U.S. According to its latest annual report, the organization raised $73.4 million in 2019.  

Among other projects, HRC has a “Welcoming Schools” program, where it cooperates with groups like the National Education Association and the American Association of School Libraries to promote teaching about homosexuality and transgenderism in grades K-12. The organization produces an annual “Corporate Equality Index,” with 767 businesses earning a 100% rating last year.

HRC has a strategy to change views about LGBT issues in the South, through its “Project One America” campaign. The organization spent $18.3 million on federal, electoral, grassroots and legal advocacy in 2019 and has a growing political action committee.

Related articles:

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Biden Administration Files Appeal to Force Religious Doctors to Perform Sex-Change Surgeries

Contact Your State Policy Group

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Hospitals and Doctors “Transition” Hundreds of Children with Drugs, Hormones and Surgery

West Virginia Passes ‘Save Girls Sports’ Act

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