Sen. Tom Cotton To The Gays Of America: Relax! At Least You’re Not Living In Iran

Graham Gremore | Queerty | April 3, 2015

Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas has a message for all the gays of America: Be thankful you’re not living in Iran, where they hang gay people.

In an appearance on CNN yesterday, Sen. Cotton said critics of Indiana’s controversial “religious freedom” law need to get a life, not to mention some “perspective,” implying that LGBT people in Indiana have it pretty darn good compared to countries where gay people are executed.

“I think it’s important we have a sense of perspective,” Cotton said. “In Iran they hang you for the crime of being gay.”

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Indiana Lawmakers To Gays: We Fixed Our Antigay Law, Now Let’s Forget That Whole Thing Ever Happened

Graham Gremore | Queerty | April 3, 2014

It’s been a looooong week for Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and his fellow Republican lawmakers.

What started out as an effort to undo decades of advancements in the gay rights movement has, one week later, turned into the state enacting protections based on sexual orientation for the first time in its history, even though Gov. Pence said on Tuesday that protecting LGBT Indianans was “not on his agenda.”

What a different a few days makes, huh?

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WATCH: Indiana GOP leader admits ‘No Gays Allowed’ sign would be legal in most of the state

Eric W. Dolan | Raw Story | March 29, 2015

Republican leader in Indiana admitted Monday that discriminating against LGBT people was legal in most of the state — but not because of a new “religious freedom” law.

Facing a growing backlash, Senate President Pro Tem David Long (R-Fort Wayne) and House Speaker Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis) held a press conference to discuss the state’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The GOP leaders said they planned to clarify that the new law doesn’t allow businesses and individuals to deny service to LGBT people on religious grounds.

But during the press conference, a reporter noted that Indiana does not have a state law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

“You guys have said repeatedly that we shouldn’t be able to discriminate against anyone, but if you just ignore the existence of this law, can’t we already do that now? Can’t so-and-so in Richmond put a sign up and say ‘No Gays Allowed?’” she asked. “That’s not against the law, correct?”

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Mississippi Governor Signs “License to Discriminate” Into Law

Sunnivie Brydum | Advocate | Reader Supported News | April 4, 2014

Opponents warn that the new law will allow widespread discrimination against LGBT people and others by those claiming serving such people or groups violates their ‘religious freedom.’

 

ississippi Republican governor Phil Bryant today signed a bill into a law that will allow business and individuals to deny service to anyone in the interest of religious liberty, according to ThinkProgress.

The legislation, known as Senate Bill 2681, the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act, would allow businesses and individuals to deny services to anyone, if serving that person or organization would “substantially burden” the individual’s “religious exercise.” It also adds the words “In God We Trust” to the official state seal. It received overwhelming support in the GOP-controlled legislature,

Grassroots LGBT organization GetEQUAL was the first to send out a statement condemning the governor’s signing of the bill, while pledging to continue fighting such anti-LGBT efforts.

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Italian lawmakers hold same-sex ‘kiss-in’ to protest anti-LGBT discrimination

 

Arturo Garcia | Raw Story | September 21, 2013

A group of Italian lawmakers interrupted a parliamentary debate on Friday to engage in a same-sex kissing demonstration in support of expanding the country’s anti-discrimination law to include the LGBT community.

According to The Local, the new measure, which expands a 1993 law to ban “crimes motivated by homophobia or transphobia,” passed in the Chamber of Deputies in a 354-79 vote, but is not expected to make it through the Senate of the Republic, generally considered the parliament’s “upper house.”

But dozens of members of the M5S party — short for MoVimento 5 Stelle, or Five Star MoVement — cut discussion short on Friday when they stood up and began kissing each other, while others held up signs calling for “more rights” for LGBT Italians. Some ministers also defended the protest online, with Federica Daga posting a picture of the protest on Twitter and writing, “Equal rights and dignity without gender. Because a kiss and a hug are not scary.”

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