Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

GOP Lawmaker Caught Admitting The 'Whole Point' Of Religious Exemption Bills—And Yeah, That Tracks

GOP Lawmaker Caught Admitting The 'Whole Point' Of Religious Exemption Bills—And Yeah, That Tracks
Mark Peake for State Senate/Facebook

Virginia State Senator Mark Peake, a Republican has courted significant controversy after he admitted that the "whole point" of religious exemption bills is to legalize discrimination against LGBTQ+ people.

Peake made the remarks in regard to S.B. 177, a bill he proposed that would create a religious exemption to a ban on discrimination in housing, effectively giving people who are part of a “religious corporation, association, or society, or any nonprofit institution or organization” free license to discriminate against anyone who doesn't abide by their "religious principles."


You can hear Peake's comments, which he made during a committee hearing, below.

Peake said:

“You are correct, what you said is correct. They would be allowed to discriminate against people that they do not feel follow their religious beliefs.”
“This is the whole point of it, is for their religious beliefs, and it gives them the ability to discriminate against people that conflict with their religious beliefs. I think that is the substance of this bill."

Peake, who has served in the Virginia Senate since 2017, has earned the praise of his fellow conservatives for introducing the measure, though it has drawn the ire of Democrats and LGBTQ+ activists who've said the measure is discriminatory.

The measure violates the Fair Housing Act, which includes LGBTQ+ people among the protected classes.

According to The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Fair Housing Act

"... prohibits housing and housing-related discrimination because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and sexual harassment), familial status, and disability."

The agency notes that anyone who experiences discrimination regarding housing because of sex, including their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, is entitled to file a complaint to launch an investigation.

Peake was immediately criticized for his remarks.




Peake's remarks come as activists and politicians express concerns about a spate of anti-LGBTQ+ bills that have gained ground in other states.

Last week, Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, criticized a Florida bill that would ban discussions about sexual orientation and gender in classrooms, telling CNN’s John Berman that the measure is “essentially pushing kids back into the closet.”

Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill was passed in the House Education and Employment Committee late last week. The bill, colloquially known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, aims to “reinforce the fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children in a specified manner.”

Buttigieg said the bill isn’t about “parental rights” at all but about discrimination and control, noting that it uses "the LGBTQ community as a scapegoat."

More from News/lgbtq

Ribvar Karimi and Morgan Gardner Karimi
Morgan Karimi/Facebook

Alabama Woman 'Blindsided' After ICE Detains Her Trump-Supporting Iranian Husband

Another day, another MAGA face eaten by a leopard.

The "it wasn't supposed to happen to me" movement claimed two more victims on Sunday, June 22, when Ribvar Karimi was abducted by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in a sweep that included 11 Iranians.

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

RFK Jr. Admits That Banning Fluoridated Water Will Cause 'More Cavities'—But He's OK With That

Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was criticized after admitting in a Fox News interview with Harris Faulkner that his proposed fluoridated water ban would likely lead people to have more cavities—but defended the move nonetheless.

While fluoride is not federally mandated in drinking water, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had long recommended its inclusion. Fluoride helps prevent cavities by strengthening enamel, and numerous studies have shown that fluoridated water reduces tooth decay in both children and adults.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Jesse Watters discussing Zohran Mamdani
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Trying To Give Mamdani A Scary Nickname That's Actually Kind Of Epic

Fox News personality Jesse Watters was widely mocked after he tried to give New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani a scary nickname in the vein of Conan the Destroyer—only for it to backfire considerably.

Watters is the latest member of the GOP to lash out at Mamdani, a democratic socialist who handily defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary last week.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man sitting on a couch
man sitting on sofa
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

People Sound Off On What Caused Them To Fire Their Therapist

We thankfully live in a world where there's no longer a stigma surrounding therapy.

Some people simply need professional help to deal with ongoing problems or even to get through the day.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andy Ogles; Zohran Mamdani
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images (left and right)

MAGA Rep Slammed After Calling For Mamdani To Be Stripped Of His Citizenship And Deported Over Rap Lyric

Tennessee Republican Andy Ogles was called out after he shared a letter he sent to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging her to denaturalize and deport New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani over a lyric in a rap song Mamdani released in 2017.

Mamdani ran a campaign centered around economic populism, arguing that the city, a global financial center, has grown unaffordable for everyday residents, citing soaring rents and grocery prices, and outlining policies aimed at reducing the cost of living.

Keep ReadingShow less