By AlaskaWatchman.com

Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration is getting orchestrated push back from the mainstream media and radical LGBTQ activists for the recent decision to prohibit the Alaska State Commission on Human Rights from investigating nonprofits and business owners who simply wish to operate in accord with deeply held beliefs about human sexuality.

Last August, the state updated its approach to investigating allegations of LGBTQ discrimination. Previously, the Human Rights Commission would take up cases alleging LGBTQ discrimination in places of public accommodation, housing, financing and government practices. This position is now void.

Any LGBTQ related complaints must now be narrowly limited to employment only.

For those who believe business owners and nonprofit groups should be able to unapologetically carry out their work or acts of charity in the public square without having to facilitate or promote the LGBTQ agenda, this change should come as welcome news.

All across the nation, Americans who hold to historic beliefs about sexuality and marriage have been persecuted through court cases and governmental agencies issuing fines and penalties against groups that fail to promote and advance controversial political and cultural beliefs associated with gender fluidity, gender expression and sexual orientation. The list of persecuted groups includes bakers, florists, women’s shelters, schools, marriage and event venues and myriad nonprofits and small businesses.

While the Watchman has been critical of a number of policy positions and decisions from the Dunleavy administration, we are happy to support our governor when he takes a stand for genuine freedom and religious liberty. In this case, we applaud the decision let Alaskans participate in the public square without fear of being persecuted for failing to capitulate to the increasingly militant LGBTQ dogma.

Click here to send a message to Gov. Dunleavy a message.

The views expressed here are those of the author.

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EDITORIAL: Tell Dunleavy you support decision to uphold religious freedom in public square

Joel Davidson
Joel is Editor-in-Chief of the Alaska Watchman. Joel is an award winning journalist and has been reporting for over 24 years, He is a proud father of 8 children, and lives in Palmer, Alaska.


20 Comments

  • Shelia says:

    Here is everyone’s chance to support the governor, instead of doing nothing but criticizing him. Write your legislators and also send the gov some letters and emails of support. Let’s support the First Amendment!

    • Friend of Humanity says:

      Well Shelia, you started that sentence out great, but then you said, “instead of doing nothing but criticizing him.” Lol It started out positive…let’s just leave it at the positive. Dunleavy gets the support of the people who elected him when he does as they elected him to do. This is one thing I can stand behind him on.

  • Neil DeWitt says:

    I sent a letter of thanks to the governor. I’ll say it shorter here but Thank you Governor Dunleavy. Great job. It’s time to even the playing ground. this LGBTQ+ garbage and their prejudice has gotten out of hand. it’s time to rein them in some!

  • Friend of Humanity says:

    I just got done listening to an interview between Dr. Alan Keyes and “From Warrior to Healer Give an Hour™” spokesperson John Radell. Fantastic interview talking about how our nation came to be, the Declaration of Independence, religion, and the state of our educational system. I was tempted to send a link to Gov. Dunleavy in hopes that he would listen to it. https://www.brighteon.com/28dca1bf-6c7d-4c7d-928c-3d124c1e1c5d
    From what I have been hearing lately in different interviews, I am under the impression that Gov. Dunleavy has a lot more power to stand up for the State of Alaska’s sovereignty than what he lets on. Let us see how he does on this one.

  • Chuck Anziulewicz says:

    As long as a nonprofit organization isn’t accepting any government funding (or, by extension, contracting with government to provide services), I really don’t care how they conduct their own affairs or whom they discriminate against. I just don’t want tax dollars funding organizations that discriminate. Would you want your tax dollars going to nonprofit groups that discriminate against Christians? I didn’t think so.

    As for businesses, a business is not a church. It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about a bakery or a restaurant, a photo studio or a factory. They aren’t in the business of providing spiritual guidance or enforcing moral doctrines. They are there to turn a profit. As such, they are obligated to abide by prevailing civil rights laws, whether those laws protect people from discrimination based on race, religion, or sexual orientation. You can wax poetic all you want about “glorifying God,” but at the end of the day these businesses wouldn’t exist were it not for the profit motive.

    • Friend of Humanity says:

      Chuck, what organizations did you have in mind when you wrote that first sentence of your statement?

      • Chuck Anziulewicz says:

        As I said, ANY organization that benefits from public funding.

      • Friend of Humanity says:

        So, Chuck, going by the last sentence of your comment, you are grouping churches in with business that work for a profit?

      • Chuck Anziulewicz says:

        I’m not sure what about my comments you’re missing. I don’t care how churches conduct their own affairs. And as long as nonprofit organizations aren’t accepting public funding, I don’t care how they conduct THEIR own affairs. But if you operate a business and provide goods or services for the purposes of turning a profit, you shouldn’t be allowed to turn away paying customers just because you have theological differences with them.

      • Friend of Humanity says:

        According to Cornell Law School, “Non-profit organizations include churches, public schools, public charities, public clinics and hospitals, political organizations, legal aid societies, volunteer services organizations, labor unions, professional associations, research institutes, museums, and some governmental agencies.” (https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/non-profit_organizations)

    • Tom Jones says:

      Businesses are free to serve who they want when they want. Having the government dictate how a business should operate is fascism. Case in point are the businesses being sued by the intolerant left when they refuse to participate in issues that go against their religious beliefs. Americans have to wake up and face the fact that those who are liberal and vote for democrats are waging war on America.

      • Chuck Anziulewicz says:

        You want to go back to the days of segregation? I think your complaint is with modern civil rights laws. Businesses can determine which goods and services they offer to a paying public, but they can’t turn away minorities that are protected by civil rights laws.

  • DaveMaxwell says:

    In fact he does have more power than he lets on!!!! Precisely why I am so pissed off with him!!! To emphasize the citizens involvement as far as I’m concerned is insanity! I was on the front lines for this governor to get him elected!!! Tons of effort, money, time invested so he could use his power and position to uphold and promote righteous, sustainable attributes that help people to flourish!!! What in fact have we gotten???? The list of crap is far too long to list, but a small list follows: c19 propaganda that killed 6900 of the governed, don’t forget what happened to businesses in anchorage that existed for years, not there now, how about the demand for a forensic audit of the election?? Next up carbon bs fiasco!
    This useless gutless clueless shell of a man is as prolife as much as I am pro lgbtq1234567t??
    Kick him out of office is all I have left in me!!!

  • Elizabeth Henry says:

    Is there an identifier such as a bill number referencing the governor’s actions? I only see a link that goes to a tweet…. I will write but would like something to reference….

  • Lucinda says:

    Christians love to play the persecution card.

    • Friend of Humanity says:

      That is funny Lucinda! I have heard more crying of persecution from the people that want to murder babies, more crying of persecution from living beings that say that others do not understand them when they want to call themselves a he when she is a she or vice versa, or the person that insists that they are a dog, or some other animal or object. I have heard more crying of persecution from the left’s minions that demand that ALL taxpayers pay for their schooling, operations, reparations and conservatives tell them that we are not interested. This really does not have to do with religion. I have family and friends that do not have faith in God like I do, but they also do not support all of the things that the left is demanding we all support. Conservatives, whether Christian or not, are on to the left’s game of projecting everything on to us that the left is doing and we are not falling for it.

  • Friend of Humanity says:

    Did anyone hear about the Canadian Catholic Student that spoke up against the his school’s policy on transgenders? I hope that he wins his case against the school! https://resistthemainstream.com/catholic-student-arrested-and-charged-over-comments-he-made-about-men-women/