Selling Out

Who cares about small business, ministries, women and children, and religious freedom? You may have seen my statement from last Friday on the Ohio Chamber of Commerce’s endorsement of HB 160. HB 160 elevates “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to protected class status in the law – giving it them the same status as race, age, religion, sex, national origin, and disability. Proponents of the bill say it’s to stop discrimination. However, they cannot point to any systematic discrimination currently occurring. They also say it’s good for businesses – but as my statement showed, these claims are embarrassingly baseless. My latest working title for this bill is the “Enemy of the State Bill” because it makes all people of faith in ministry and the marketplace enemies of the state for their religious beliefs about sexuality, and scientific views of biology (for example, that ideas don’t make you a woman, having a uterus, etc. does). This legislation has been used across the country to penalize small businesses for not wanting to participate in same-sex weddings, threaten Christian ministries for wanting staff to hold to Christian orthodoxy, and mandate that biological men be allowed in women’s restrooms, locker rooms, and other private facilities. This bill would be a disaster for Ohio. It’s simply unbelievable that the Ohio Chamber would endorse it – not only would it be bad for business, it violates the privacy rights of women and children.

The Rundown is a weekly update from CCV President Aaron Baer