Matthew Cohen, MSW

Matthew Cohen, MSW

Social Justice Solutions | Staff Writer
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Indiana’s Religious Freedom Law Is An Abomination (Editorial)

There is little I can add to the commentary about Indiana’s religious freedom law except that it is an abomination, a relic from a time past that has no place in our society.  There will always be hate and discrimination, America has a long history in this regard, but when reckless law makers attempt to codify that hate we are left with a national crisis.

Indiana’s governor Mike Pence had this to say:

“That’s not on my agenda, and that’s not been an objective of the people of the state of Indiana. And it doesn’t have anything to do with this law,” Pence said in an appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”

“We are not going to change this law,” he said.

His insensitive rhetoric displays an ignorance of the temperature in the country with regard to gay rights and a general disregard to our brave souls who have fought, suffered and died for their civil rights.

Indiana does not need to guarantee religious rights, the Constitution does. This is not an issue for the LGBTQ community, it is the issue of every man, woman, and child who looks toward this country to secure their freedoms, regardless of their culture, religion or sexual identity. This issue, this law and the movement toward its retraction, is the business of America.

Discrimination always wears the clothes of exception to hide the fear that continues to live in the hearts of so many men and woman, fear of what they do not understand. There are other things people do not understand; we have heard that “Race is an exception” and this law insinuates that “Sexual identity is an exception”, but the most hypocritical stroke is that the history of humanity is littered with eras where “Religion itself was an exception”. I imagine that a “Freedom From Religion” act would not play so well in Indiana, and in response we would see demonstrations from people who never thought that their freedoms, specifically their freedom to worship could be endangered.

The LGBTQ community should have their freedom to love ensured, it can no longer be left to the States to codify those rights. It is time the Federal government enforces the credo of  this nation because “life, liberty and the pursuit happiness” is nothing without the right to love. Today, love is the business of America, and Indiana is going bankrupt.

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2 Comments

  1. billy kangawa March 30, 2015
  2. Matthew Cohen, MSW Matthew Cohen, MSW March 30, 2015

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