Ever since the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, anti-gay crusaders have been touting a somewhat obscure piece of legislation called the First Amendment Defense Act, which would prohibit the federal government from “taking discriminatory action against a person on the basis that such person believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that: (1) marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or (2) sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.”
In other words, The First Amendment Act would let both individuals and businesses discriminate against gay people and others under the banner of “religious liberty.”
As Right Wing Watch reports, anti-gay groups have been eager to show their support for the legislation.
As it so happens, a handful of these groups – namely, the American Principles Project, Heritage Action for America, and Family Research Council Action — just made the announcement that a total of six GOP presidential hopefuls have signed a pledge promising to push for the passage of the FADA within their first 100 days in office should they be elected:
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American Principles Project has joined together with Heritage Action for America, the action arm of the Heritage Foundation, and FRC Action, the legislative affiliate of the Family Research Council, to invite each of the candidates running for President to sign the following pledge:
“If elected, I pledge to push for the passage of the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) and sign it into law during the first 100 days of my term as President.”
So far, six candidates have signed the pledge:
• Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
• Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida)
• Dr. Ben Carson
• Carly Fiorina
• Former Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania)
• Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas)
…
Maggie Gallagher, Senior Fellow at American Principles Project, released the following statement:
“It has become clear that the First Amendment Defense Act is rapidly becoming a signature issue that unifies the GOP. Three out of the four top contenders for the nomination — Carson, Cruz, and Rubio — have pledged to prioritize passing FADA in their first 100 days of office. Additionally, Bush, Graham, Paul, and now for the first time, Donald Trump, have publicly expressed support for FADA. Real, concrete protections for gay marriage dissenters appear to be just one election victory away.”
