LGBT News Gov. Jindal Issues Order On Religious Freedom And Same-Sex Marriage

Aldrick · May 20, 2015

Trying to regain ground after a setback in the legislature, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal issued an executive order Tuesday to protect people who exercise their religious beliefs on matters related to same-sex marriage.

Jindal outlined the order in a statement: “This Executive Order will prohibit the state from denying or revoking a tax exemption, tax deduction, contract, cooperative agreement, loan, professional license, certification, accreditation, or employment on the basis the person acts in accordance with a religious belief that marriage is between one man and one woman.”

The order — which comes a day after Jindal formed an exploratory committee to seek the GOP nomination for president — is posted in full below.

The order came just hours after the state legislature essentially killed the Marriage Conscience Act, a bill similar to the executive order that he now seeks to impose using his authority as governor.

The legislation was a priority for Jindal, he said at the beginning of the year’s legislative session. He said he would “fight” to pass it amid an uproar over religious freedom bills in Indiana and Arkansas that critics said would allow LGBT discrimination. He authored an op-ed published in the New York Times in defense of his support, declaring, “As the fight for religious liberty moves to Louisiana, I have a clear message for any corporation that contemplates bullying our state: Save your breath.”

Jindal defended the bill at home as well, “All this bill does is provide necessary protections for individuals to prevent adverse treatment from the state based on religious beliefs regarding marriage. This legislation does not allow a restaurant or industry to refuse service to a gay or lesbian person.”

“This executive order falls into category of unnecessary, gratuitous and discriminatory,” Sainz told BuzzFeed News. “On the same day that Louisiana legislators had the good sense to turn back discrimination, Governor Jindal, who’s facing one of the lowest approval ratings in state history, decided to promote his presidential fortunes by championing ignorance. He’s on the wrong side of this issue and will no doubt be on the wrong side of history.”

In his statement Tuesday afternoon, Jindal said “We are disappointed by the committee’s action to return the Louisiana Marriage and Conscience Act to the calendar. We will be issuing an Executive Order shortly that will accomplish the intent of HB 707 to prevent the state from discriminating against persons or entities with deeply held religious beliefs that marriage is between one man and one woman.”

Both state and federal court decisions on marriage equality are on appeal in Louisiana. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision in June settling questions about whether same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional.

Jindal said his action will “prevent the state from discriminating against people, charities and family-owned businesses with deeply held religious beliefs that marriage is between one man and one woman.”

BuzzFeed News asked Jindal’s office how the order would apply to charities, adoption agencies, and businesses — for example, how could they act based on religious convictions around same-sex marriage while being exempt from adverse action by the state? Could a state-funded adoption agency refuse an otherwise-qualified gay or lesbian couple on moral grounds without losing state money? Jindal’s office was also asked whether the order would provide the same legal defense as a law passed by the legislature. The governor’s office did not immediately reply.

Additionally, BuzzFeed News has asked Jindal’s office under what authority his office purported in Tuesday’s order to change the definition of “person” to be used by state officials in applying the 2010 Preservation of Religious Freedom Act from a narrow definition that was included in the law itself to a more broad definition that would include “individuals, non-profit, or for-profit corporations.”

[UPDATE at 11:00 p.m.: Gov. Jindal’s spokesperson, Shannon Bates Dirman, told BuzzFeed News, “The language used in the definition of ‘person’ in Louisiana’s RFRA [Preservation of Religious Freedom Act] is illustrative, not restrictive.”

In the 2010 law, it states, “‘A person’ includes an individual and also includes a church, association of churches or other religious order, body or institution which qualifies for exemption from taxation under Section 501( c )( 3 ) or ( d ) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (Public law 99-514, 26 U.S.C. Section 501).”

Further, Dirman added, “Often in Louisiana law, when the text intends to be restrictive, typically the words ‘shall’ or ‘shall not’ are used. Here, the law says a person ‘includes,’ and goes on to list specific examples, such as non-profits. This is simply illustrating who or what can be considered a person under the statute, but doesn’t restrict the interpretation to include others that are not specifically itemized within the statute.”]
Click to expand...

Read the full article here.

AlamoCity · May 20, 2015

Well... it's election season (when is it not election season in the US? :lol.

Genuflecting to the Christian Right seems to be de riguer for Republican candidates.

I don't like the whole "losing-your-job protection" aspect in one scenario. Say you apply to be an assistant county parish clerk after gay marriage is legal. Shouldn't you not have chosen a job where you damn well knew official duties would run counter to your teachings? You don't see Muslims and Jews suing Smithfield Farms (ham) for not getting certain accommodations in the performance of animal slaughter that is counter to their religion and/or relating to touching something that's not kosher/halal.

BryanM · May 20, 2015

This guy criticised President Obama left and right on his executive order on the immigration crisis. I guess it's different when it means suppressing those queers though, right Bobby?

Hatsune Miku · May 20, 2015

what a disgusting piece of shit

Aldrick · May 20, 2015

Cue the ad campaign.

[YOUTUBE]Q26LCfLtTBA[/YOUTUBE]

Cue old white people (AKA Republican Voters) clapping.

Cue Bobby Jindal nodding randomly in an empty church.

GeeLee · May 20, 2015

An executive order being used like this? I'm sure the GOP and Fox News will be outraged about this.

dano218 · May 20, 2015

I hope this guy runs for president and shockingly wins the nomination because he will lose in a landslide!

greatwhale · May 20, 2015

I read recently that Jindal is a Rhodes scholar...it's too bad, I thought they had higher standards.

Fact is, he is an arrogant son-of-a-bitch whose approval rating in Louisiana is as dismal as the swamps therein, at 27% (this appears to be a bi-partisan dissatisfaction), with a 1.6B dollar deficit. When IBM tells you that if you pass your "anti-discrimination" bill there will be consequences, and you have that kind of deficit, you don't go on defiantly that you won't be pushed around by corporations expressing their views on your homophobia. His recent executive order goes much further than Indiana's lame attempt, stating that these protections are for people who believe marriage to be between one man and one woman...fucking outrageous!

Everyone knows about his presidential ambitions...one guy from LA commented that "he should focus on the job he has, rather than the one he wants"

HuskyPup · May 20, 2015

I think he's trying to look 'tough'. Somehow, he kind of comes across as Mr. Rogers, the former children's TV star, with those cardigans he wears, but this is a rather lame attempt at trying to look like Mr. Big, Large and In Charge...especially with his tanking economy, deficits and low approval ratings. I don't see him as taking up much space on the stage for the upcoming primaries. I'd imagine it's probably curtains for his political career.

Bi in MD · May 20, 2015

His political career has been curtains for years, this act was his hail Mary attempt hoping that it would draw in the votes from the people afraid that they could catch the gay virus if the gays were allowed to freely mingle in public.
He just has no clue about this or anything else.

AwesomGaytheist · May 20, 2015

Sorry Piyush, but this isn't going to save your career. It's things like this that make me wonder if in the next few decades a center-right party will emerge and the GOP will be reduced to nothing more than screaming hate out of its last and only stronghold: the South.

LGBT News Gov. Jindal Issues Order On Religious Freedom And Same-Sex Marriage

Aldrick
Full Member

AlamoCity
Full Member

BryanM
Full Member

Hatsune Miku
Regular Member

Aldrick
Full Member

GeeLee
Regular Member

dano218
Regular Member

greatwhale
Full Member

HuskyPup
Regular Member

Bi in MD
Regular Member

AwesomGaytheist
Full Member

LGBT News Gov. Jindal Issues Order On Religious Freedom And Same-Sex Marriage

Thread Tools

Aldrick Full Member

AlamoCity Full Member

BryanM Full Member

Hatsune Miku Regular Member

Aldrick Full Member

GeeLee Regular Member

dano218 Regular Member

greatwhale Full Member

HuskyPup Regular Member

Bi in MD Regular Member

AwesomGaytheist Full Member

Aldrick
Full Member

AlamoCity
Full Member

BryanM
Full Member

Hatsune Miku
Regular Member

Aldrick
Full Member

GeeLee
Regular Member

dano218
Regular Member

greatwhale
Full Member

HuskyPup
Regular Member

Bi in MD
Regular Member

AwesomGaytheist
Full Member