Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Equality Act. The issues discussed as part of the Equality Act are important. Amending the Civil Rights Act to include sexual orientation would be a historic step. Unfortunately, without explicit religious exemptions, there are many questions that will arise. Title II of the Civil Rights Act currently prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodation on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin. The Equality Act would dramatically expand the definition of public accommodation to include any place of public gathering or any establishment that provides a service, such as food banks or homeless shelters. Every religion and faith in America has had its own set of beliefs. Some of these, including Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, are thousands of years old and answer to a much higher power. My personal faith, as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, teaches me that every individual is a child of God and deserves to be treated with love and respect. My religion also teaches that marriage is sacred and eternal in nature. The marriage ceremonies conducted in the sacred places of my faith are conducted in temples that must not be deemed places of public accommodation. If houses of worship are defined as places of public accommodation, a number of problems arise, many having nothing to do with LGBT rights.…”