Critics claim state of Georgia Religious Liberty Bill is discriminatory

The Georgia State legislature has passed what is called the Religious Liberty Bill on Wednesday. Critics claim the bill is discriminatory against same-sex couples.

The bill still needs to be signed by Nathan Deal, the Republican Governor. He claims he will not sign the bill if it allows discrimination although his office declined comment on the bill on Wednesday. Last year, in Indiana and Arkansas, similar types of bill brought strong criticism that forced many legislators to retreat from the provisions.

Some corporate officials and companies have criticized similar bills. In Arizona, after such criticism, a similar bill was vetoed by the Republican Governor Jan Brewer in 2014. Corporate executives also spoke out against an Indiana bill last year that the group thought would allow business owners to refuse to serve same-sex couples on religious grounds. The willingness of corporate executives and corporations to speak out on the issue may be partly because a majority of Americans now support same-sex marriage:Data from the Pew Research Center last year found that 55 percent of Americans, and 70 percent of millennials, support same-sex marriage.

In the case of Georgia's Religious Liberty Bill, more than 300 large corporations and small businesses, including Delta Airlines and Coca Cola, signed a pledge condemning the Georgia bill and recommending the bill be dropped. Even the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce spoke out against the bill.The bill has been reworked several times to meet criticism that it went too far. A late amendment was made that would not allow the bill to permit any discrimination prohibited by federal law.

As well as some companies, organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign which represents the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community condemned the bill: "The decision by the legislature today was to make an egregious and discriminatory bill even worse. It's appalling that anti-equality extremists in the legislature are trying to ignore the will of the people of Georgia."

The bill has its supporters as well. Mike Griffin, a spokesperson for the Georgia Baptist Convention applauded the bill although he said it did not contain all the group wanted: "We feel we’ve advanced our protection of our First Amendment Right to religious freedom. Our rights of religious liberty don't end inside the four walls of a church."

The bill would allow faith-based groups such as churches, religious associations or schools, the right to reject holding events for any person or group to whom they object. Such groups could not be forced to hire or even retain any employee whose beliefs were counter to those of the faith-based organization.

Wheel-chair bound man refused service because of his service dog

Montreal - Michel Larochelle filed a complaint with the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal after a waiter told him his service dog must leave the restaurant. The dog helps Larochelle to push his wheelchair up ramps and hills.
 In August 2009 Michelle Larochette went with a friend and Larochette's service dog Cici to the Caverne Grecque restaurant in Montreal. The waiter said that Cici could not enter the restaurant but must stay on the sidewalk. Cici helps Larochette negotiate hills and ramps as he has a manual wheel chair. Larochelle has been using the services of dogs from the MIRA foundation in Montreal since 1992.
 According to Larochelle the waiter argued that Cici would disturb other clients even though Cici was lying under the table where they were sitting and there were few clients on the terrace. Larochelle threatened to file a complaint with the Quebec Human Rights Commission but the waiter still would not serve them while Cici was under the table.
 The Quebec Human Rights Commission came into being after amendments to the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. The Commission hears complaints on various issues."" As a specialized tribunal, the Human Rights Tribunal has jurisdiction to hear and rule on complaints concerning discrimination and harassment grounded on one of the motives prohibited under the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. It can also hear cases concerning the exploitation of elderly people and people with disabilities as well as matters concerning affirmative action programs""
. The decision of the Commission took some time but last week the Commission agreed with Larochelle's complaint and ordered that the waiter and restaurant pay him $6,000 in damages. Larochelle said that disabled people cannot be treated as second-class clientele. Larochelle won a similar complaint back in 2005 against another restaurant. Larochelle is surprised he had been forced to make two complaints over a period of ten years to enforce his rights. For more see this article.

Discrimination in the name of Security

I guess this means that Al Qaeda will no longer be equal opportunity employers but will concentrate on those from counties not on the US proscribed lists!
This is a good example of extra-territoriality. The US manages to impose its own laws on other countries.


Montreal workers forced off contract over U.S. security concerns
Bell Helicopter sidelines 24 employees from other countries; prime minister says he's 'very concerned'
Last Updated: Thursday, January 11, 2007 11:36 PM ET
CBC News
Ottawa says it is worried about an American policy that has forced Bell Helicopter of Montreal to ban 24 employees from working on a U.S. military contract because of their nationalities.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper told reporters Thursday that Canada has raised the issue with the U.S government over the past several months.
'…People are eliminated simply because they were born in a given country. This is total nonsense.'-Montreal labour relations lawyer Gaston Nadeau
"We are very concerned about this policy," he said in French while in Toronto.
The contract calls for the assembly of up to 480 helicopters for the U.S. military, starting in the spring.
The workers were taken off the lucrative U.S. military project because they were born in countries that the Americans consider a security risk. Security measures outlined in the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations do not allow citizens from 25 countries to work on strategic military weapons.
"There are certain number of persons if they are born in one of 25 possible countries, then we are not to have these employees in contact [because of the] International Traffic in Arms Regulations," said Michel Legault, the director of business development for Bell Helicopter.


Many of the workers at the Mirabel plant hold dual citizenship. One technician has been with Bell Helicopter for almost two decades and some of the employees have lived in Canada for most of their lives. The countries they come from include China, North Korea, Haiti, Venezuela, Lebanon and Vietnam.
Bell Helicopter asked the U.S. government to waive the policy but the request was denied this week.
U.S. policy is discrimination, lawyer says
Although the employees have been told that Bell Helicopter would try to assign them to other projects, many are worried they will be laid off.
Montreal labour relations lawyer Gaston Nadeau said the exclusion of these workers is a clear case of discrimination.
"Nobody is against protecting yourself against terrorism," Nadeau said. "The problem here is that there is no factual basis whatsoever for the kind of action taken. And people are eliminated simply because they were born in a given country. This is total nonsense."
Nadeau said the workers can appeal to the human rights commission. But he pointed out the problem: Bell Helicopter won't get the contract without applying the U.S. rules.
The Canadian company is a division of Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., based in Fort Worth, Texas, the world's largest helicopter m