A Kentucky state senator is planning to once again propose a bill in the upcoming legislative session that he said will protect religious freedoms. Similar measures have drawn backlash across the country.
The bill would allow businesses to deny services if they have sincerely-held religious beliefs to do so and protect them from being sued for violating local anti-discrimination ordinances that protect LGBTQ people.
Sen. Al Robinson, a Republican from London and bill’s sponsor in previous years, said he’s not concerned with backlash like North Carolina has seen after passing similar legislation.
“There’s more people that are backing down when they should not be backing down for the sake of the threats and the financial threats. And to me there’s some price that’s just not worth paying.”
North Carolina’s law has led to a prolonged backlash from some national companies who have scaled back investments and canceled events in the state, including PayPal, the NBA and the NCAA.
Though the bill has failed in recent years, it’ll have a better chance now that Republicans have control of the legislature and governor’s office for the first time in state history.
