Citizen Christians Urged to Act
By Hunter Hines
Christian Action League
February 12, 2016
CHARLOTTE – Monday, the Charlotte City Council, voted 7-3 to move forward on the exceedingly controversial “non-discrimination ordinance.” Council members intend to vote on whether to finally approve the measure on Monday, February 22nd.
The ordinance, which has also been referred to as “the bathroom ordinance,” adds the self-determined categories of “sexual orientation,” “gender identity,” and “gender expression” to the current list of already protected classes like sex, race, and nationality. This presents a serious problem on “public accommodations,” allowing men to use women’s restrooms and vice versa. Moreover, it will make businesses like wedding photographers, cake bakers, florists, etc. that hold a sincerely held religious objection to same-sex marriage subject to severe fines, penalties, and even closure.
Three days before (Friday, February 5th) the city council met to discuss the ordinance, Rev. Franklin Graham, head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, posted a Facebook message expressing his opposition as a member of the Charlotte community.
Graham wrote:
“The so-called ‘Nondiscrimination Ordinance’ was defeated last year in Charlotte, NC, after public outcry and tens of thousands of emails from concerned citizens. But now it has been brought back to life at the urging of Charlotte’s new Mayor Jennifer Roberts, and reports say that two new City Council members are also supporting it. There’s no question; this is a dangerous idea. This literally opens the doors—the bathroom doors—to predators and sexually perverted people.
“Each section of the proposed ordinance has wording to include ‘gender identity.’ Gender identity is what an individual ‘feels’ their gender is regardless of the biological reality. So any man can say they feel like a woman that day and enter the women’s restroom at any public facility or the showers at public gyms by mandate of law. That’s absurd!
“In reality, this type of so-called ‘non-discrimination’ law is being used to discriminate against Christians. Just ask bakers Aaron and Melissa Klein, florist Barronelle Stutzman, and others who were shut down or face fines for following their faith. Where sexual orientation and gender identity laws such as this have passed in other places, florists, bakers, photographers, adoption agencies, and t-shirt printers have been punished by the government for not wanting to use their artistic talents to celebrate and participate in same-sex weddings, not wanting to promote the LGBT messaging in Gay Pride events, or for not wanting to place an adoptive child with two men.
“LGBT activists are trying to hook their caboose to the “freedom train” and drag their immoral agenda into our communities by claiming that this is a civil rights issue. Civil rights issues are very real and important—but don’t be fooled, this isn’t one of them. I heard one African-American minister say recently that “the freedom train doesn’t stop at Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Also prior to the city council’s meeting on Monday evening, a coalition of faith and business leaders called “Don’t Do It Charlotte,” held a press conference expressing similar sentiments. The group presented a petition with more than 5,000 signatures of people urging the city council not to approve the ordinance.
Dr. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League, called upon supporters of the League to weigh in on the issue. Dr. Creech said that even though the ordinance affects only Charlotte, if it passes it sets a precedent for other municipalities and counties across the state.
“No one person or group is an island. What we do always affects others. This ordinance is perverse. It’s problematic on a host of levels, two being most prominent. First, it puts the privacy and safety of people at risk just because one segment of society is confused about its gender. Second, it squashes religious liberty, forcing public businesses into acts of involuntary servitude. What happens in Charlotte will spread to cities big and small,” said Dr. Creech.
Take Christian Action:
Please contact Charlotte City Council members and urge them NOT to approve the proposed “non-discrimination” ordinance. Below you will find a few talking points provided by “Don’t Do It Charlotte” and a list of city council members with their contact information.
This LGBT Favoritism Law will impact the City of Charlotte negatively in four ways:
- Puts children and women in danger and violates their sense of privacy and security.
- Creates undue regulatory burdens on private businesses and unnecessarily exposes them to lawsuits and liability by requiring them to promote messages or ideas that are contrary to their religious beliefs.
- Requires the City of Charlotte to engage in impermissible discrimination on the basis of religion when it chooses businesses with which to contract and do business.
- Violates Article II, Section 24 (j) of the Constitution of the State of North Carolina, by creating a local non-discrimination ordinance regulating labor and trade.
Charlotte City Council Members:
- Jennifer Roberts (Mayor): 704-336-3131; mayor@charlottenc.gov
- Vi Lyles (Mayor Pro Tem): 704-336-3431; vlyles@charlottenc.gov
- Patsy Kinsey (District 1): 704-336-3432; pkinsey@charlottenc.gov
- Al Austin (District 2): 704-336-3185; aaustin@charlottenc.gov
- LaWana Mayfield (District 3): 704-336-3435; lmayfield@charlottenc.gov
- Greg Phipps (District 4): 704-336-3436; gaphipps@charlottenc.gov
- John Autry (District 5): 704-336-2777; jautry@charlottenc.gov
- Kenny Smith (District 6): 704-574-7241; krsmith@charlottenc.gov
- Ed Driggs (District 7): 704-432-7077; edriggs@charlottenc.gov
- Julie Eiselt (at large): 704-336-4099; eiselt@charlottenc.gov
- Claire Green Fallon (at large): 704-336-6105; cfallon@charlottenc.gov
- James Mitchell (at large): 704-336-3430; mitchell@charlottenc.gov