On the Saturday of the Easter Triduum, Virginia governor Ralph Northam signed Senate Bill 868, called the Virginia Values Act, which “prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, public or private employment, public spaces and credit transactions,” according to the Washington Post. It also provides “causes of action,” allowing individuals, and even Virginia’s attorney general, to sue over alleged discrimination. The bill—which was submitted by Adam Ebbin, the first openly gay person elected to the Virginia Senate—makes Virginia the first Southern state to offer such protections for LGBTQ persons. It will also place Virginia front and center in future religious freedom legal contests, which will inevitably arise from this legislation. Catholics nationwide should beware.

As The Family Foundation president, Victoria Cobb, notes, “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” will now be considered specially protected categories for practically all parts of Virginia’s state code. Most worryingly, this applies to the Virginia Human Rights Act (VHRA), which will now apply to “all places of public accommodation,” including churches, schools, and religious ministries. Private businesses with at least five employees will also be expected to comply, meaning that employers with certain religious convictions will be in the law’s crosshairs.  ….

Read more here:  crisismagazine.com/2020/rights-for-lgbts-but-not-god