The Equal Access to Intrastate Commerce Act has passed both houses and awaits the Governor's signature. This bill asserts the State Sovereignty to define anti-discrimination protection only at the state level.
The law would rescind all LGBT non-discrimination protection in the state of Tennessee and ban it moving forward. Though Romer v. Evans may provide precedence for legal challenge, it is functionally enough different it is not a violation of that Supreme Court decision. And will likely require years of expensive litigation to undo.
It's is the opposite of small government, local rule and an example of big government footprint overriding local decisions.
And it is a way for Red States to ensure there are not even a single small oasis in their state where LGBT people can feel a just a little safer, in their jobs, in their homes and in their person. Say goodbye to your progressive values, Austin, your Red County representatives are going to tell you you're doing it wrong.
Worse, it was the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce that worked to push it through:
The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce has come out in support of a bill that would reverse Metro's ordinance barring discrimination against LGBT employees.
On April 25, House members voted 73-24 in favor of the proposed legislation (HB600). Sponsored by Republican Glen Casada of Williamson County, it would nullify a Nashville ordinance prohibiting companies that discriminate against gays and lesbians from doing business with the city. The companion bill in the Senate (SB 0632) is currently awaiting vote.
In his speech during that House session, Casada claimed that the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry had lobbied actively for the bill. Sponsors of the Metro non-discrimination law---Jamie Hollin, Mike Jameson, Erica Gilmore and Megan Berry---sent a letter to the organization inquiring as to their position.
It has nothing to do with "Intrastate commerce" and everything to do with bashing gays.
As as John Aravosis said on AmericaBlog:
Make no mistake, this was legislative gay-bashing at its worst. The legislation was crafted by the religious right in order to repeal Nashville's new ordinance protecting gay and trans residents from discrimination.
We all cheered last year when Nashville, Tennessee passing non-discrimination protection for gays. It seemed a real change may be sweeping America when even Southern states were willing stand up for the LGBT community. This is how the far right will stop that change.
John Aravois and Joe Sudbay have a plan, make the companies who control seats on the Chamber of Commerce answer for this action:
The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce - chaired by Nissan, and whose other board members include such companies as FedEx, AT&T, Comcast, DuPont, Pfizer, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Caterpillar, KPMG, Whirlpool, Embraer, Alcoa, and United HealthCare - actively lobbied for a religious right bill in the Tennessee legislature that would rescind Nashville's civil rights protections for its gay and trans citizens, and which bans every city in Tennessee from passing any civil rights laws, for anyone, ever again.
I think they're on to something. Time to ask these companies whose company reputation earns them that seat on the board of the Chamber of Commerce, "Is this what your company stands for? Do you really want Nissan to stand for picking on gays?" This is a disgusting, discriminatory law, and do these companies really want their names associated with it? Are their companies really going to throw their weight behind passing it?
Make no mistake this is the right's next tactic to stop the LGBT community. This measure is the next round of 2004 gay marriage ban ballot initiatives. If this succeeds—with the help of local Chambers of Commerce across the country—it will metastasize to other states and sweep the Red States. And the small havens in Texas, Oklahoma and other states will become less safe their LGBT citizens once again.
Please, take a minute to sign the petition, let's show corporate America we have our eyes on what their representatives on the Chamber of Commerce are up to.
The text of the petition:
TO: Nissan, FedEx, AT&T, Comcast, DuPont, Pfizer, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Caterpillar, KPMG. Whirlpool, Embraer, Alcoa, and United HealthCare:
The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce, of which you are board members, actively lobbied for a bill just passed in the state's legislature repealing current, and banning future, municipal civil rights laws in the state.
As the Human Rights Campaign just noted, this bill, written by the religious right, was a thinly veiled effort to repeal civil rights protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents of the state: "Legislators took action based on their desire to limit the rights of a particular group - the LGBT community."
Your companies' embrace of this blatant discrimination is un-American and bad for business.
We demand that you issue an immediate statement withdrawing your support for HB 600/SB 632, and that you tell Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam to veto this bill.
Update
Thank you to
tiponeil for pointing out that Chamber of Commerce Chair, Nissan, has a rather poor record on LGBT issues. Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index rating is merely a 50 out of 100. (You can find HRC's documentation
here.) This is a look at Corporations' commitment to LGBT non-discrimination policies, partner benefits and other policies that are of interest to the LGBT community.
The same, however cannot be said of other corporations that control seats on the Tennessee Chamber of Congress, here are their 2010 ratings on HRC's Corporate Equality Index, on a scale of 1-100:
AT&T: 100
DuPont: 100
Pfizer: 100
KPMG: 100
Whirlpool: 100
Alcoa: 100
Comcast: 95
Blue Cross Blue Shield : 90
Caterpillar: 75
FedEx: 70
It's time to hold these companies feet to the fire.
It's time to ask them, what are their company values really? Do they condemn LGBT discrimination in their own work force, while helping to promote anti-gay legislation in the state houses across the country?
Are they really just pretending to be friends to the gays, while working behind the scenes to marginalize, stigmatize and undermine them?
As we saw with the Target story, this is really an a question Human Rights Campaign needs to consider when, as they speak on behalf of the gay community, they endorse these companies as "gay friendly" in their Corporate Equality Index ratings.
Why would these companies endorse this law?
Update 2
Details of these business leaders' secret meeting with the Religious Right,
from the Nashville City Paper:
“There’s a special meeting today,” a man, apparently more connected to the higher-ups, responded.
It wasn’t just any gathering. Inside were notable business leaders, Christian-right organizers and Republican lawmakers preparing talking points and plotting their strategy to defeat a proposed Metro ordinance that would require companies contracting with the city to adopt nondiscrimination employment policies that include protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Among those who turned out for the occasion — hosted by David Fowler, a former Republican state senator who heads the Family Action Council of Tennessee — were businessmen such as Lee Beaman of Beaman Automotive Group and Stan Hardaway, president of Hardaway Construction; Bill Phillips, former deputy mayor of Bill Purcell’s administration who now works as a lobbyist; and a pair of Republicans: state Rep. Glen Casada of Williamson County and Jim Gotto, currently serving a dual role as state representative and Metro councilman.
H/T AmericaBlog
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