A proposed bill in the Alaska Legislature looks to establish new “rights” for those who claim to have an LGBTQ+ identity.
Hard left Democrat Representatives Alyse Galvin (Anchorage) and Sara Hannan (Juneau) are sponsoring House Bill 301, which would add “sexual orientation or gender identity/expression” as protected legal classifications, akin to race, sex, age and religion.
Critics have long argued that LGBTQ identities are radically different from race and other protected categories and thus should not be included among those classifications.
“First, race manifests itself readily, whereas sexual orientation and gender identity are ambiguous, subjective, and variable traits,” the Heritage Foundation has argued. “Second, sexual orientation and gender identity are linked to actions, which are a proper subject matter for moral evaluation. Race is not.”
If passed, the proposed Alaska bill would modify statutes related to public accommodations, rental facilities, employment and housing.
Similar bills across the nation have forced business owners to create art, cakes and engage in photo shoots that violate their deeply held religious and moral convictions. Other such laws have forced faith-based groups and churches to provide services, such as renting venues for homosexual weddings or adhering to so-called “gender-identity” policies related to dress, pronouns, bathroom usage and other practices which contradict traditional morality.
In 2023, similar legislation was introduced in the Alaska Legislature, which drew sharp criticism when the sponsor refused to say whether the bill would permit biological males to enter women’s shower rooms and allow them to undress in front of girls
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
The latest bill would make it unlawful to treat people differently based on their sexual identities, meaning bathroom policies, wedding venue rentals, youth camps and many other entities could be forced to affirm and facilitate gender confusion.
With regard to churches that rent their facilities for weddings or other functions, House Bill 301 could force them to host same-sex weddings and other gender-confused events. That’s because Alaska’s public accommodations law does not currently provide specific exemptions for religious organizations or churches in this context.
House Bill 301 has already picked up the endorsement of Planned Parenthood, which is currently urging its allies to write and call legislators in support of the bill.
TAKING ACTION
— Click here to read House Bill 301.
— HB 301 is currently in the House State Affairs committee. Click here to email these committee members.
