Georgia Governor Brian Kemp recently signed the Restoration of Freedom Act, formally known as Senate Bill 36, claiming it protects religious freedoms. Critics argue the law will enable discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, alleging it prioritizes faith over individual rights. Lawmaker Esther Panitch voiced concerns that the bill will be weaponized for state-sanctioned discrimination. Advocacy group Georgia Equality condemned the law, noting that a bipartisan coalition had previously rejected similar legislation due to its potential harms. Kemp reassured that Georgia does not tolerate hate, despite the bill's implications for vulnerable communities.
The new law, Senate Bill 36, entitled the Restoration of Religious Freedom Act, purports to protect religious freedom for Georgians by mandating the state government 'shall not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability' except in rare instances.
State-sponsored discrimination, that's what this is. You just have to ask yourself, why won't they incorporate anti-discrimination provisions if they say that they're not going to discriminate?
I wanted to let everybody know that despite signing that legislation, Georgia still remains a state that has no place for hate, and I can assure all Georgians of that today.
Over the last eleven years, a broad, bipartisan coalition has repeatedly rejected the Religious Freedom Restoration Act due to its potential harms to vulnerable communities.
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