Fresh from the news that the Marriage Discrimination Bill went down to defeat in the Senate, we now learn that the House has passed HB5, the anti-discrimination bill sponsored by House Majority Leader Peter Schwartzkopf (D-Rehoboth) that would finally prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. The vote was 26-14.
According to the House Press Release, this bill is nearly identical to those that have passed the House before with broad bipartisan support, only to find a comfortable resting place in the desk drawer of Senator Thurman Adams (D-1950’s). And now the bill goes to the Senate again, and Senator Adams, in his final days of relevance, has a choice. His legacy can be one of hatred, bigotry and backward thinking, or he can finally, at long last, enter the 21st century and wipe away one of the last vestiges of state-sanctioned discrimination.
“This is equal rights legislation, not special rights legislation,” Rep. Schwartzkopf said. “This legislation is based on the very foundation on which our country stands – that we treat all of our citizens with dignity and respect, and that includes respecting the human rights of all people. Discrimination in any form is wrong. Right now, people can be denied housing or a job if someone disagrees with a person’s sexual orientation or what they think is their sexual orientation.
Here is hoping that Senator Adams has better angels on his shoulder this time.