ACLU of Georgia Statement on “Religious Liberty” Legislation

ATLANTA – Andrea Young, Executive Director of the ACLU of Georgia, today issued the following statement about “religious liberty” legislation, Senate Bill 233, filed yesterday in the Georgia Senate.

“The freedom of religion is a fundamental right guaranteed by our state and federal constitution. But that freedom does not give any of us the right to harm others. Growing up during Jim Crow, I lived in a world where I was refused service in hotels and shops because of my color. People claimed a religious purpose then, saying that God meant for the races to be separate. It was wrong then, and it is wrong now, to use religious belief to harm and discriminate against others.

“That is why the ACLU of Georgia will continue to oppose legislation that would give people a license to discriminate against their fellow Georgians. No one should be turned away from a business, refused government services, or evicted from their home, just because of who they are. We will also continue to advocate for comprehensive civil rights legislation to protect the rights of all Georgians to live and work free from discrimination.”

The ACLU of Georgia’s statement on comprehensive civil rights legislation, Senate Bill 119, is available here.

For more information about the ACLU of Georgia visit www.acluga.org and connect on Facebook and Twitter.