Laredo Stops LGBT Ordinance, For Now
Austin, Texas – After hearing testimony from Texas Values and other religious leaders in their community, the Laredo City Council made a motion and unanimously voted to “table” a so-called “anti-discrimination” ordinance which would have forced private businesses and contractors with the city to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs on same-sex “marriage” and gender identity.
The City of Laredo indicated they wanted to spend more time studying the legal issues raised by Texas Values attorney Jonathan Saenz. It’s expected they could bring the ordinance up again at a later date.
The proposed ordinance would have given special status in law based on sexual orientation and gender identity, something lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocates have pushed for in other cities. Some of these ordinances have failed to pass, while others are being challenged in court.
Ordinances of this type are reckless, dangerous, and inaccurately rely on a short-lived interpretation of Federal law from the Obama Administration. The current DOJ has rejected this interpretation and instead concluded that protections against sex discrimination does not apply to claims on sexual orientation and gender identity. Further, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of Colorado cake baker Jack Philips who was punished for his sincerely held religious beliefs under a similar law.
Jonathan Saenz, President of Texas Values said: “We applaud the Laredo City Council for hearing the concerns of its citizens and not opening themselves up to a lawsuit with this flawed and dangerous ordinance. By setting aside this proposed LGBT ordinance for now, religious liberty rights for citizens of Laredo remain protected for another day. As we are about to enter the 2019 Legislative session, Texas Values looks forward to making sure these same rights are protected for all Texans.”
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About Texas Values
Texas Values is the largest statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to standing for faith, family, and freedom in Texas. More information is available at txvalues.org.