During Thursday night’s Equality Town Hall, Don Lemon quoted from Beto O’Rourke’s LGBTQ+ plan — “Freedom of religion is a fundamental right, but it should not be used to discriminate” — then followed up: “Do you think religious institutions like colleges, churches, charities, should they lose their tax-exempt status if they oppose same-sex marriage?” Beto’s answer:
Yes. [applause] There can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break for anyone or any institution, any organization in America that denies the full human rights and the full civil rights of every single one of us. And so, as president, we’re going to make that a priority, and we are going to stop those who are infringing upon the human rights of our fellow Americans.
Updated to add: “’Of course, Beto was referring to religious institutions who take discriminatory action,’ spokeswoman Aleigha Cavalier said in a statement.” Texas Tribune
Beto, who was raised in the Catholic Church, has long opposed those who would attempt to justify homophobic discrimination based on their religious beliefs. While serving on the El Paso City Council in 2009, Beto took on a homophobic priest who was opposing health care benefits for same-sex partners of city employees. Watch:
Beto tells that story as he’s making his case yet again for “doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do and allow the politics to catch up.”
Love is love, y’all.
As has become all too clear, though, the current hateful and bigoted occupant of the White House has continuously stoked fear and hatred with deadly consequences for those he targets.
Beto is going to protect LGBTQ asylum seekers.
Beto also believes that so-called “conversion therapy” should be outlawed, characterizing it as “tantamount to torture. A torture that we’re visiting on children who are absolutely defenseless.”
In his usual intersectional way, Beto connects “conversion therapy” with the high rates of homelessness of LGBTQ youth as well as worse outcomes in life. He has also been talking about the epidemic of violence against trans people, and trans women of color in particular, for quite some time.
And, of course, he points out that LGBTQ Americans are the frequent targets of gun violence.
Read Beto O’Rourke’s “Plan to Pursue Equality for LGBTQ+ People and Ensure They Can Live Openly Without Fear of Discrimination or Violence” here: betoorourke.com/…
Please check out Beto’s vision and plans at BetoORourke.com and donate to his campaign, which is powered by people, not PACs or special interests or corporations.
Volunteer for Beto: act.BetoORourke.com/signup/volunteer
Friday, Oct 11, 2019 · 9:22:15 PM +00:00 · nomandates
Reading the threads has been quite frustrating because of the misrepresentations of what was said. Lemon did not ask whether churches should lose their tax-exempt status if they don’t believe in same-sex marriage. Instead, he prefaced the question by quoting from Beto’s plan: “Freedom of religion is a fundamental right, but it should not be used to discriminate.”
In the context of using religion as a pretext for discrimination, Lemon then asked, “Do you think religious institutions like colleges, churches, charities, should they lose their tax-exempt status if they oppose same-sex marriage?” (I included both of those quotations in my opening paragraph.)
Beto replied, “Yes,” then added after the applause and cheers died down (also already included in diary):
There can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break for anyone or any institution, any organization in America that denies the full human rights and the full civil rights of every single one of us. And so, as president, we’re going to make that a priority, and we are going to stop those who are infringing upon the human rights of our fellow Americans.
It’s as though some are determined to ignore what the Trump administration has been doing, but here’s what Beto’s plan to take executive action to protect LGBTQ+ people says (emphasis original):
Despite the progress we’ve made, members of the LGBTQ+ community are denied lives free of fear or discrimination. President Trump’s administration has made it their mission to roll back protections for the LGBTQ+ community, particularly transgender Americans, defying their constitutional guarantee of Equal Protection. Beto will take immediate executive action to end the assault on LGBTQ+ rights and enact policies that conform to our laws and values. As President, Beto will:
- Reverse the Trump Administration’s discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, by:
- [….]
- Reversing the [Trump] Administration’s attempt to expand religious exemptions in order to enable discrimination or harm others. Freedom of religion is a fundamental right, but it should not be used to discriminate.
- Ending the Administration’s exclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity as protected under sex discrimination under Title VII and Title IX, in particular to redress the discrimination against LGBTQ+ women and people of color in employment and other settings.