The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a press release on Saturday upholding its opposition to the Equality Act and Rep. Chris Stewart, who he believes will protect LGBTQ rights as well as religious freedom.
“We stand behind our 2019 statements and reiterate the Church’s support for equality and fairness,” said the press release. “We could support legislation that protects LGBT people as well as people and faith institutions. Both are possible and clearly required in a just society. “
In 2019, the Utah-based faith said it was concerned that the Equality Act, which aims to protect LGBTQ rights at the federal level, did not guarantee freedom of religion. The church warned that the act would impose secular norms on religious activities, defuse religious charities, and destroy religious education.
Stewart said his proposal would similarly protect LGBTQ people from housing and employment discrimination, while also allowing schools to follow religious standards without being funded and refusing small business owners to participate in activities that conflict with their beliefs.
Civil and gay rights organizations said Stewart’s law would reverse existing protections that prevent discrimination based on race and sex.
The Equality Act is back on the table this year. It has passed the House, but is unlikely to pass a divided Senate. Stewart has also reintroduced his bill.
The LDS Church reaffirmed on Saturday that it supports measures that protect LGBT people and religious individuals and institutions.
“The church supports legislation, such as that introduced by Rep. Chris Stewart, that meets both critical requirements,” he said, “and is confident that a balanced, fair and unifying approach can be achieved.”
