In a statement released this week, Mat
Staver, president of the Christian conservative Liberty Counsel,
criticized reintroduction of a federal LGBT protections bill.
Reintroduced earlier this month with
bipartisan support, the Equality Act is a federal bill that seeks to
prohibit discrimination against people who identify as lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender.
(Related: Pete
Buttigieg endorses LGBT protections bill Equality Act.)
Staver, a vocal opponent of LGBT
rights, said that passage of the Equality Act would unleash
“unconstitutional chaos in America.”
“The Equality Act is not about
equality,” Staver said. “This bill eviscerated religious freedom
and targets churches with an LGBT wrecking ball. This bill pushes the
LGBT agenda on all people and targets Christianity in every area of
life – including the church. There also will be an increase of
sexual assaults when males ‘identifying as females’ are allowed
to use girls and women’s bathrooms and locker rooms. We will see an
increase of instances where Christians and others are being punished
unless they violate their beliefs in order to comply with such a law.
And that is just the beginning of unconstitutional chaos in America.”
Staver's Liberty Counsel represented
Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses
to same-sex couples.
(Related: KY
governor: Kim Davis must pay legal bill from denying marriage
licenses to gay couples.)