RALEIGH, NC (AgapePress) - A bill that would have added sexual orientation to an existing equal employment opportunity law in North Carolina died recently in a House committee, when it failed by one vote to gain the majority.

John Rustin, director of government relations for the North Carolina Family Policy Council, testified at two hearings on the bill at the end of last month. He argued that adding the classification of sexual orientation to the government's hiring, promoting and firing policy could open the door to "include bisexuality, pedophilia or even bestiality."

Rustin pointed out that "alternative sexual lifestyles," as well as homosexuality, are criminal offenses under state law. "In essence, you would be providing special legal protection to individuals based on their participation in illegal activity," he said.

He also argued, along with Christians for Morality in Government president Victoria Peterson, that the U.S. Supreme Court's criteria to determine whether a group should receive special legal protection include an immutable characteristic, a history of political powerlessness, and economic deprivation.

One proponent of the bill argued that many Fortune 500 companies have sexual orientation policies, so the state should implement such a regulation. Rustin argued that homosexuals' sway over large corporations is a "clear indication that these individuals aren't powerless."

"They have tremendous power and resources, evidenced by the fact that they've been able to prevail on these Fortune 500 companies and government entities in other states," Rustin said, adding that homosexuals are also far from "economically deprived."

"Two homosexuals living together versus a traditional couple is on average a much higher cumulative household income," he said.

But the bottom line? Homosexuals are really not seeking avoidance of discrimination, according to Rustin, but legal legitimacy for alternative sexual lifestyles.

"If this bill had passed, there would be legal recognition for individuals based on their sexual orientation, so there would be a flood of lawsuits challenging so-called discrimination on this basis," he said.

The House State Government Committee members voted mostly along party lines, except for one Democrat who opposed the bill.

Dorothy Moore writes for The Charlotte World, a Christian newspaper in Charlotte, North Carolina.

© 2003 AgapePress all rights reserved.

 

E-mail this page to a friend Printer-Friendly Version