Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
 
Board
 
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9/15/11  7:59 am
Commenter: Ed Zavada

No discrimination
 

I fully support the clause prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, political beliefs, sexual orientation, disability or family status.

If an organization wishes to offer foster care services or adoption services, they must comply with those requirements. This includes religious organizations who disagree with homosexuality. We would never consider allowing a religious organization to discriminate based on gender or race, even if that was a core tenet of their belief system, so why should sexual orientation be any different? 

For all those arguing that a ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation is a limit to religious freedom, I must disagree. You are free to practice your religion however you choose. You are not free to impose those beliefs on others, and you are under no obligation to offer licensed adoption services. I suggest you consider whether it would similarly be a limit to religious freedom to remove the requirement that there be no discrimination based on religion? Should another denomination or religion or church be allowed to offer adoption services only to their fellow believers, but exclude members of your religion and denomination?

CommentID: 18311