The Colorado Catholic Conference opposes HB24-1124.
Each person should be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion, as each person is made in the image of God. HB 1124 claims to ban discrimination; however, it actually codifies discrimination against anyone with a different belief about human sexuality and forces them to conform to government-mandated beliefs about sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression under threat of financial penalties.
HB 1108 contains a limited religious exemption clause which does apply to “a church, synagogue, mosque, or other place that is principally used for religious purposes;” however, that exemption will likely be interpreted to not apply to religious-affiliated institutions, like schools or hospitals.
This means that while the four walls of a church building may be protected from prosecution, many religious institutions and ministries will not be able to both profess and practice their well-founded convictions on human sexuality and marriage without being prosecuted for violating the law. This list could include Catholic schools, Catholic hospitals, homeless shelters, adoptive care agencies and other ministries of the Catholic Church and other similar faith-based institutions may be forced to conform to these government-mandated beliefs on sexual oritentation, gender identity and gender expression, and even “viewpoint,” or be prosecuted, impacting their ability to serve vulnerable populations.
Additionally, the bill affords no protections for private individuals to practice their well-founded convictions on human sexuality in the public sphere. This brings back the 2017 US Supreme Court case, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, in which Masterpiece owner Jack Philips was sued for politely refusing to design a wedding cake for a same sex wedding due to his religious beliefs on marriage. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission found Jack violated anti-discrimination law. However, in a 7-2 decision, the US Supreme Court ruled that Colorado was wrong to punish Jack for peacefully living out his beliefs in the marketplace.
If enacted, HB 1124 gives authority to that same Colorado Civil Rights Commission to enforce this new law and decide how “religious expression” and “worship” are applied for religious institutions and private citizens. This is why the bill actually codifies discrimination against anyone with a different belief about human sexuality than what is being outlined in the legislation.
The Colorado Catholic Conference respectfully asks for a “no” vote on HB 1124.