The San Antonio City Council passed by an 8-3 vote a controversial ordinance Thursday (Sept. 5) by which city officials can be removed from office and businesses made liable if they demonstrate "a bias in word or deed" on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
For businesses that offer services to the general public, the ordinance makes such discrimination a Class C misdemeanor punishable by fines of up to $500.
Last-minute amendments clarified that the measure does not require businesses to allow transgendered persons to use restrooms or locker rooms intended for people of the opposite sex -- a change that angered some of the ordinance's supporters.
Several previous amendments attempted to calm a swell of opposition. Thanks to one amendment, a "religious corporation, association, society or educational institution" may limit employment to members of the same religion. Another amendment added the qualifier, "Nothing herein shall be construed as requiring any person or organization to support or advocate any particular lifestyle or religious view, or advance any particular message or idea."
Still, the ordinance is "one of the most dangerous constitutional violations Liberty Institute has ever seen" limiting free speech and religious liberty, the conservative advocacy organization said in a news release. Keep reading
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San Antonio Bans LGBT Bias 'by Word or Deed'
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