Gay lawmakers in Texas are jubilant after they defeated legislation that would have prevented government from punishing businesses because of the owner’s religious beliefs.
The so-called “Save Chick-fil-A” bill was introduced in response to the San Antonio City Council’s decision to ban the restaurant chain from opening a location in the city’s airport. City Council members had falsely accused the restaurant chain of being anti-gay.
State Rep. Matt Krause’s bill would have prohibited cities and government entities from taking “adverse actions” against businesses that publicly espouse religious convictions.
“I don’t care if you’re Chick-fil-A or Ben & Jerry’s,” Krause told the Dallas Morning News.“Anybody would want to make sure the government can’t take any adverse action for who you associate with.”
However, the Texas LGBTQ Caucus was able to defeat the bill without even firing a shot by using a parliamentary point of order.
“Hopefully this is the day discrimination against the LGBT community dies in Texas,” State Rep. Julie Johnson told USA Today.
