ENDA: Who is the Victim?

I came across a very alarming, if not hilarious and ridiculous, story from one of my favorite conservative Christian wackjob organizations, The Family Research Council. The head of the organization, Tony Perkins, created a video to combat the "anti-Christian" ENDA (Employment Non-discrimination Act). This bill would make it illegal for employers in every state to fire employees based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Here's what good ole Tony had to say:
"Religious freedom. Freedom of speech. Often referred to as our first freedoms. How important are they to you as an American. What if they were taken away -- Would you miss them?
Well, you may not have to wait long to find out. I'm holding in my hand the latest assault on our first freedoms -- It's called ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. I call it "the end of religious liberty and free speech in America."

Now, I would laugh at the sheer ridiculous nature of his words, if he and his org were not so serious about it. I am continually shocked, although I shouldn't be, by religious conservatives and extremists who clamber to claim "victim hood" when, in fact, they are the true oppressors. At least be honest about your bigotry. You hate gay people and don't want to treat them as human beings or as equal citizens. Fine...I'll call you a bigot and and asshole, but at least you're honest. Instead, they hide behind this idea of religious persecution. Yes, you will not be able to fire gay people once the law is enacted, and I suppose that enough for them to scream that their rights are being assaulted. So when other groups were protected, ie racial minorities, did neo-nazis and white supremacists scream in the streets that their rights were being trampled by having to interact with and, gasp, not harass and fire people of color? When did treating people with respect and equality become a sin? Oh yeah, when it goes against the religious crazies' ideology. I chalk it up to the last screams of a dying animal. They know their case is lost, and they just want to yell and pound their fists before becoming a relic of the past.

This is a no-brainer. Give people equal protections under the law. Only twenty-one states ban sexual orientation discrimination in employment. And only thirteen protect gender identity discrimination. That means that a majority of US states have little to no protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. How would you like to be fired for who you date? This has languished in the congress for many years and it far past due. It needs to pass both houses and be signed by the president. Let's support this bill, and show dumbass Tony that his kind of ignorance and bigotry is not only archaic, but also out of touch with present-day beliefs about equal rights.

My last thought on the Family Research Council: replace "research" with "propaganda" because you should be commended for perfecting this type of propaganda, like another organization from Germany that didn't like gay people either.