Hate Springing Up Like Bluegrass in Kentucky

The crazy runs deep in the Blue Grass state. By a vote of 72-49, yesterday the Kansas House approved a bill which allows businesses to reject LGBT customers on the basis of “sincerely held religious beliefs.” Just when you think they’ve made a little headway towards equality, here comes the Kentucky legislature with this:

The bill would bar government sanctions when individuals, groups and businesses cite religious beliefs in refusing to recognize a marriage or civil union, or to provide goods, services, accommodations or employment benefits to a couple. Anti-discrimination lawsuits also would be barred. Individual workers and government employees also would get some protections. The measure is a response to the possibility that the federal courts could invalidate the state constitution’s ban on same-sex marriages.

Given that Republicans outnumber Democrats by 31-9 in the Senate, we can count on this passing. Kentucky Republican Tim Huelskamp has been gleefully tweeting all day with things like this: