San Antonio city council is considering adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the city's non-discrimination ordinance. However, the lies and misinformation being spread by anti-LGBT activists is making its way into the mainstream media. The false claims being made by the San Antonio Family Association mirror those that are being made about the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which is making its way through the US Senate right now.
Equality Matters has already noted how anti-LGBT outlets have promoted the myth that such protections would bar Christians from holding office within the city. Those claims are now being made on San Antonio CBS affiliate KENS-5 by leaders of the San Antonio Family Association.
GLAAD is working to ensure that the media reports the truth about ENDA. Texas, like most states, has no laws that protect LGBT people from being fired just because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The San Antonio non-discrimination law would offer protection for LGBT workers, while protecting the religious beliefs of all citizens.
The conflation of Christianity with anti-LGBT animus is probably the biggest myth being pushed by opponents of the law. As Diego Bernal, the council member advocating for the addition stated, many Christians and people of faith support protecting LGBT workers from being fired. The fact is that there is nothing in Christianity that states that a Christian must fire an LGBT person from a job. To say otherwise is untrue and a false version of religion.
Whether covering a city non-discrimination ordinance in San Antonio, or covering the advancement of ENDA through Congress, the media has a responsibility to tell the truth, examine the claims made by anti-LGBT activists, and tell the stories of those who are affected and impacted by anti-LGBT discrimination in the workplace.