The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is “grateful” that the California legislature recently dropped a proposal in a pro-LGBT bill that critics say would have curbed religious liberty for private schools.
California state Sen. Ricardo Lara announced earlier this week that he was dropping a measure in a bill that would have removed certain exemptions from religious colleges.
As president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, Rodriguez said in a statement Wednesday that he and his organization “hope and pray that future legislative proposals will engage the faith community in a viable conversation that will protect the rights of all.”
“Religious liberty stands as the quintessential firewall against secular totalitarianism. Accordingly, we are grateful that Sen. Ricardo Lara modified the legislation of California Senate Bill 1146,” stated Rodriguez.
“Without a doubt, the unmodified version would have jeopardized Christian institutions and egregiously penalized all students of faith, especially Latino and African-American individuals.”
Also called the Equity in Higher Education Act, according to its legislative counsel digest SB 1146 “prohibits a person from being subjected to discrimination on the basis of specified attributes, including sex, in any program or activity conducted by a postsecondary educational institution that receives, or benefits from, state financial assistance or enrolls students who receive state student financial aid.”
“This bill would, except as provided, specify that a postsecondary educational institution that is controlled by a religious organization and that receives financial assistance from the state or enrolls students who receive state financial assistance is subject to that prohibition and violation of that prohibition may be enforced by a private right of action,” continued the digest.
SB 1146 also mandated that any college receiving a Title IX exemption must disclose said exemption to students and faculty.
Read more at Rev. Samuel Rodriguez ‘Grateful’ California Dropped Plan That ‘Jeopardized Christian Institutions’.
###
