SOGI Laws

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Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Laws: A Threat to Free Markets and Freedom of Conscience and Religion

By Peter Sprigg Senior Fellow for Policy Studies

A Threat to Free Markets and Freedom of Conscience and Religion

Local, state and federal governments are being urged by activists to expand the protected categories under existing civil rights laws to bar discrimination in employment, housing, and/or public accommodations on the basis of

• sexual orientation (which includes voluntary homosexual conduct); and
• gender identity (referring not to ones biological sex, but typically to the gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, with or without regard to the individual’s designated sex at birth [H.R. 1755/S.815: Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013]). Gender identity provisions are intended to protect transgender individuals–an umbrella category that includes:
• • transsexuals (people who have had sex-change surgery),
  • transvestites (cross-dressers),
  • drag queens and drag kings (people who cross-dress for entertainment purposes only).

For convenience, we will refer to this general category of non-discrimination laws based on sexual orientation (SO) and gender identity (GI) as SOGI laws.

Such laws should be opposed by anyone who believes in freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of conscience and religion, and a free market economy. Here are some reasons why… Click here to read full article in PDF form.