Tony Perkins, president of the
Christian conservative Family Research Council (FRC), has criticized
re-introduction of the Equality Act, saying that it robs “every
American of their speech, privacy, and beliefs.”
The Equality Act is a federal bill that
seeks to prohibit discrimination against people who identify as LGBT.
It was re-introduced on Wednesday.
(Related: Pete
Buttigieg endorses LGBT protections bill Equality Act.)
Perkins, a vocal opponent of LGBT
rights, argued that the bill would “destroy the very climate that
makes companies successful in the first place.”
“Do they know the implications of
these countless new regulations – or the overwhelming costs of
compliance? What about the legal fees for settling workplace
disputes, the higher taxes that will inevitably come from more
government oversight, or the loss of competitiveness that comes with
more regulation?” Perkins rhetorically asked.
“Big Business is desperately trying
to have its cake — and make you bake them too. They want the
admiration of the Left and the favorable economic policies of
conservatives. And while they embrace this miserable excuse for
fairness that robs every American of their speech, privacy, and
beliefs, where will they look to bail them out when their profits
start tanking? To conservatives. But they can’t have it both ways.
Big Business can either embrace the social structure that leads to
growth, or they can sit and watch their revenues implode because they
cared more about political correctness than the future of their
corporations,” Perkins said.
A majority of large corporations have
voluntarily adopted policies that prohibit discrimination based on
sexual orientation and gender identity. Opposition to LGBT
protections has mainly come from small businesses. Firms with fewer
than 15 employees are exempt from the Equality Act.
(Related: All
100 firms on Fortune's Best Companies list protect gay workers.)
FRC has been labeled a “hate group”
by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) over its anti-LGBT
rhetoric.