Homophobic adoption bill loses in Georgia
In a victory for fair minded people – a bill to allow Georgia adoption agencies to reject same-sex couples will not become law this year. Senate Bill 375 would have allowed religious-based adoption agencies to refuse their services to couples. The bill faced backlash from advocacy groups and major corporations that claimed the bill was a thinly veiled attempt to discriminate against LGBTQ couples.
via WRBL News 3
Among the groups that protested against the bill is Colgay Pride of Columbus. Director Jeremy Hobbs says he believes the most important factor in adopting a child should be the competency of the parents and not their lifestyle choices.
“So many kids are kicked out of their homes every day for being gay, I was one of them,” Hobbs said. “We continue to make people feel like they’re wrong and unworthy, when in reality they’re not hurting others. … People say the greatest thing you can ever do in life is raise a child, and you know I would never want to neglect that joy from anyone, because we live on through our children. That’s how our legacy continues, and what we teach and what we mold our kids to be better stewards of society and leave it better than what they found it.”
Hobbs goes on he believes legislators turned down the bill based on Governor Nathan Deal’s past stance on another religious liberties bill in 2016. Deal faced pressure from movie production companies and major corporations who threatened to pull their business from Georgia if the allegedly discriminatory bill was passed.
“They knew that he has a no nonsense stance on this, because all Georgians are welcome, all Georgians are needed to succeed, and all these kids need a home that are out there,” he says.
The bill became contentious because business leaders said it could hurt the state’s reputation since Atlanta is a finalist for Amazon, the Seattle-based online store that could bring 50,000 jobs to whichever city it chooses.
“Legislation that sanctions discrimination and limits options for children in need of a permanent home takes us further away from our goal of attracting investments that improve the lives of Georgia families,” Katie Kirkpatrick of the Metro Atlanta Chamber and David Raynor of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce said in a statement.
