The disturbing Republican trend toward viewing those they disagree with as “not human” continues. During debate over a bill to protect Missouri’s LGBTQ community from discrimination, State Representative Rick Brattin, claimed a distinction between human beings and people who are gay .
Discrimination against individuals based on their sexual orientation is legal in Missouri. On May 8, state legislators attempted to pass an amendment banning such discrimination when Brattin spoke on the proposal.
“When you look at the tenets of religion, of the Bible, of the Quran, of other religions, there is a distinction between homosexuality and just being a human being,” Brattin said on the House floor. In addition to his religious test for humanity, Brattin has also pushed for teaching creationism in public schools.
Brattin was also one of the legislators who infamously tried to establish a differentiation between “rape” and “legitimate rape” as part of an anti-abortion bill he proposed. (Think Todd Aikens.) The bill would have required a pregnant women to get the rapist’s written consent before obtaining an abortion except in cases of “legitimate rape.”
The Missouri state legislature also recently passed Senate Bill 43, making it harder to sue for discrimination. It would force citizens to explicitly prove that bias lead to a dismissal rather than just contributing to it. The bill is now on the desk of Republican Governor and SEAL-for-Life Eric Greitens.
Submitted by Michael Pfeifer, WCD Member