Many Americans, including Christians, are still unaware of the immediate dangers facing religious freedoms and biblical values from the federal Equality Act of 2021 (H.R. 5).
In a nation where all individuals “are created equal” as stated in the Declaration of Independence and where we believe in “equal protection under the law” as stated in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, what is wrong with the Equality Act of 2021?
The answer is that this proposed law uses the word “equality” while proposing just the opposite: inequality.
The Equality Act – or more appropriately, the Inequality Act – would impose discrimination—unfair treatment—against certain “disfavored” groups of American citizens, including conservative Christians, based on biblical views of sexuality and relationships.
Specifically, the law adds “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as protected classes under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. And the legislation undercuts religious freedom in favor of those who see marriage and biological sex as fluid concepts, specifically overriding the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
It would penalize Americans for practicing their beliefs as they operate their businesses, charities, medical practices (H.R. 5, Sec. 3), and even as they raise their children.
Let’s look at Bible-believing Christians, for example. The federal government would discriminate against Christians—treat them unequally from others—by forcing them to violate their deeply held religious beliefs on sexuality.
This is already happening in certain “progressive” states and cities.
Under the Equality Act, discrimination against Americans of faith would be condoned and upheld by federal law—nationwide.
Christians would be among those singled out for penalties if they expressed or lived out their faith in business or many other areas of life. Their biblical beliefs regarding marriage and sexuality would be antithetical to this law.
For instance, we’ve seen local governments issue fines and file lawsuits against Christian wedding vendors in “hot spots” around the nation. This treatment would become the norm nationwide under the Equality Act.
If you believe that biological males who identify as females should not compete against biological females in “women’s sports”—and you openly try to express or try to live according to that belief—you could face retribution with no protection under federal law (Sec. 3).
If Christian adoption agencies resist giving children to homosexual couples, or to a transgendered parent—they could be punished or forced to shut down permanently (Sec. 3).
The law could affect Christians who teach in public schools; who rent out houses or rooms; who practice medicine; who hire employees; even those who merely have separate male and female restrooms. The list is long and there would be no geographic sanctuaries from such a federal law.
The Equality Act has passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Senate will soon be considering the bill and even if it becomes law, thankfully, there are still countermeasures to fight back.
Congress is almost evenly divided on this legislation. If the measure fails to pass the Senate now, informed, educated voters can make the difference in the 2022 elections. Voters can elect candidates who share their biblical and conservative values and will work to stop the Equality Act. Even if the measure passes in 2021, informed voters can also elect enough candidates to repeal the act in the 118th Congress.
The key to who gets elected is educating voters with research and information about more candidates who will uphold our values. And the key to good information is the factual research presented by iVoterGuide—the most influential nonpartisan guide for Christians in America. iVoterGuide evaluated 8,051 candidates in 2020. Nearly 3.5 million voters used iVoterGuide, helping make a difference in 1,941 races. The future rests on the voters. All elections matter.
Debbie Wuthnow is the president of iVoterGuideand a member of the Board of Directors. She joined iVoterGuide in 2011 as a data analyst and was named president in 2018. iVoterGuide is a one-stop resource for candidate ratings and election information in 2020. From a Christian and conservative perspective, iVoterGuide’s researchers give an in-depth analysis—and overall rating—for over 8,000 candidates in 3,500 races. In addition, iVoterGuide gives election dates, registration deadlines, and polling locations. For more information, visitiVoterGuide.com.