An anti-LGBTQ bill was killed in Texas yesterday by the all-female LGBTQ caucus.
Rep. Julie Johnson put forth two points of orders against House Bill 3172. The second involved the accusation that an analysis of the bill’s effects was inaccurate, and was accepted, essentially defeating the bill.
“Hopefully this is the day discrimination against the LGBT community dies in the Texas House,” she said.
The bill, colloquially referred to as the “Save Chick-fil-A” bill, had been presented by Republicans as a way to protect religious freedoms.
Specifically, it would have prohibited the government from “taking any adverse action against any person based wholly or partly on the person’s membership in, affiliation with, or contribution, donation, or other support provided to a religious organization.”
Opponents feared it would be used as a shield for discrimination against the LGBTQ community.
The Texas Tribune reports that the bill was already incredibly watered down by the time it reached the House floor, but that if it had gone to debate, it could have reverted back to an earlier, broader and even more inflammatory version.
Earlier this year, the San Antonio City Council blocked the installation of a Chick-fil-A in the airport, stating that they didn’t wish to support an organization with a longstanding donation record to anti-LGBTQ groups. This bill would not only have prohibited that decision, but also would have allowed the company to sue the City Council.
