The Family Institute of Connecticut bemoaned the absence of the Catholic Church in the conservative group’s unsuccessful fight Thursday to defeat a transgender discrimination bill in the House. It passed 77 to 62, with no Republican support, even though some GOP lawmakers backed it previously.
The FIC pointed to a close vote on an amendment aimed at weakening the bill as evidence they might have killed the bill with a little help. “That tally leads us to believe that if the Catholic Church had joined FIC Action in opposing the Bathroom Bill, the bill would be dead by now,” the FIC said today on its web site.
The bill would outlaw discrimination in employment, housing and public accomodations, but the question of access to public restrooms has been a dominant concern of many opponents, hence the dismissal of the legislation as “the Bathroom Bill.”
If the church was AWOL, then the FIC was heartened by the party-line GOP support: “While we are concerned about our old ally, we are heartened by the arrival of new friends. Every single Republican present last night voted against the Bathroom Bill.”