Thursday, February 24, 2011

Homosexuals Sue IL Christians over Their Faith

The recently-enacted Illinois civil unions law doesn't take full effect for months, but homosexualists aren't relenting from their agenda to outlaw religious liberty.

For background, read Illinois Civil Unions Law, so Now to "Gay Marriage" and also read Judge Says Judeo-Christian Values Are Obsolete

And read this analysis from the Illinois Family Institute.



UPDATE 6/13/11: IL Civil Unions Not Enough; Must Destroy Marriage

-- From "Gay couple file complaints after refused space to host their ceremony" by James Scalzitti, Chicago Sun-Times Staff Reporter 2/23/11

When civil unions were legalized in Illinois, a pair of downstate men started planning their future, but when they tried to rent a hall for the celebration, they learned discrimination does not end with a stroke of the governor’s pen.

Now the pair has filed complaints against two bed and breakfasts which refused to rent them space for a ceremony and reception, including one in the Kankakee area.

One owner explained he only hosted “traditional weddings” and not civil unions, while the other was more emphatic, telling the men homosexual unions were “wrong” and citing Bible verses to justify his opinion.

They chose the two particular inns because they are natives of southern Indiana and northern Kentucky and it would be easier for family members to drive to Alton or Paxton then to Chicago, Whathen said Tuesday.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Gay couple alleges discrimination by Alton business" by Terry Hillig and Kevin Mcdermott, St. Louis Post-Dispatch 2/24/11

The complaint is based not on the [new] Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act but on the state's Human Rights Act, which has a "public accommodations" section that makes it a violation to "deny or refuse to another the full and equal enjoyment of the facilities, goods, and services of any public place of accommodation" for discriminatory reasons.

Gay rights activists say the law means that Illinois establishments must provide services regardless of the sexual orientation of customers.

Both the civil union law and the Human Rights Act contain exemptions for religious reasons, but neither appears to allow the barring of same-sex couples from accommodations like the ones Wathen was seeking.

The civil union law exempts individual clergy or religious organizations from having to perform same-sex ceremonies if doing so is against their beliefs. The Human Rights Act specifies that the "expression of religiously based views" by the owner of a public accommodation doesn't constitute discrimination, but it doesn't allow that owner to withhold services based on those views.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read 'Gay Rights' Winning, Loss of Religious Liberty Documented - Washington Post writer demonstrates it's a "zero sum" game: Winning homosexual 'rights' means Christians must lose freedom of religion.