NOM Urges Connecticut General Assembly to Defeat SB 899: Bill Threatens Religious Liberty and Crosses Line into Promotion of Gay Marriage in Schools

"Presented under the guise of conforming state statutes to the Connecticut Supreme Court's ruling legalizing gay marriage, SB 899 would undermine existing legal protections for religious organizations and repeal statutes that help ensure that gay marriage is not taught to children in public schools." -- Brian Brown, Executive Director, NOM

PRINCETON, NJ, April 17 /Christian Newswire/ -- Today the nation's leading organization, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), working to preserve marriage as a unique institution between men and women, urged the Connecticut General Assembly to reject SB 899.
"Presented under the guise of conforming state statutes to the Connecticut Supreme Court's ruling legalizing gay marriage, SB 899 would undermine existing legal protections for religious organizations and repeal statutes that help ensure that gay marriage is not taught to children in public schools," said Brian Brown, executive director for NOM. "SB 899 sounds simple, but it makes profound changes in the law that could hurt religious groups and will result in gay marriage being actively promoted in the state's public schools," noted Brown.

SB 899 repeals existing Connecticut statute 46a-81r, which provides that, the state's statutes "shall not be deemed or construed... to authorize the promotion of homosexuality or bisexuality in educational institutions or require the teaching in educational institutions of homosexuality or bisexuality as an acceptable lifestyle."

"By repealing this important legal protection, the General Assembly will be putting into the law that kids should be taught about same-sex marriage in Connecticut's public schools," Brown said. "We strenuously object to this sneaky legislative attempt, under the guise of conforming state statutes with the Supreme Court's ruling, to force gay marriage on young children in school. If SB 899 did not intend for gay marriage to be promoted in public schools, it would not need to repeal this section of the law. Make no mistake about it, gay marriage will be promoted in Connecticut schools if SB 899 becomes law."

NOM also warned legislators that SB 899 poses a threat to religious institutions that are currently protected from sexual orientation discrimination claims if those claims conflict with the religious mission of the organization.

"Connecticut's statutes protect religious organizations from legal claims by gay activists who
otherwise could bring sexual orientation discrimination lawsuits against them. This is a common- sense 'conscientious objector' exemption for religious groups." Brown said. "Unfortunately, SB 899 would leave these same religious groups open to lawsuits brought by gay couples who marry. A Christian school, for example, could be liable for refusing to hire a gay man married to another man to teach their students about family life."

NOM is airing radio and Internet ads urging Connecticut citizens to contact their legislators to oppose SB 899.

To schedule an interview with Maggie Gallagher, President, or Brian Brown, Executive Director of NOM, please contact Elizabeth Ray (x130), eray@crcpublicrelations.com or Mary Beth Hutchins (x105), mhutchins@crcpublicrelations.com at 703- 683-5004 x130.