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Press Release

Americans United Urges Senate Not To Broaden Religion Exemption In Anti-Bias Bill

Yielding To Religious Broadcasters’ Demands Would Undercut Anti-Discrimination Protections Of Employment Non-Discrimination Act

November 5, 2009

Americans United for Separation of Church and State has urged the U.S. Senate not to broaden the religion exemption in a pending bill designed to end job bias against gays and lesbians.

The proposed Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would allow churches and other non-profit religious institutions to refuse to hire gay applicants if the groups are currently allowed to discriminate on religious grounds under the provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

The National Religious Broadcasters and other Religious Right forces, however, are pressing the Senate to broaden the exemption in S. 1584 to allow businesses and individual religious employers to discriminate against gay people.

 “In extending the religious exemption to those organizations that already receive an exemption under Title VII, Congress is close to the proper balance,” said Americans United in its letter to the Senate. “But expanding it to include a broader array of organizations – even religious business owners engaged in commerce – not only disturbs that delicate balance, but could nearly swallow the bill’s protections against sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination entirely.”

Read the full press release at www.au.org

For more information, visit the AU Media Center.
Call (202) 466-3234—or email americansunited@au.org.