NPR

Business Leaders Oppose 'License To Discriminate' Against LGBT Texans

Texas legislators are considering a bill that would allow professionals to deny service to people based on religious beliefs. Critics say the law would sanction discrimination against LGBT Texans.
Mike Hollinger of IBM joined a group of business leaders at a news conference on the steps of the capitol in Austin, Texas. The business leaders oppose the so-called religious refusal laws currently under consideration in the Texas legislature.

In Austin, Texas, a new raft of anti-LGBT legislation is working its way through the state legislature. One of the bills would allow state licensed professionals of all stripes — from doctors and pharmacists to plumbers and electricians — to deny services on religious grounds. Supporters say the legislation is needed to protect religious freedoms. But opponents call them "religious refusal bills" or "bigot bills."

Last week, on the steps of the capital in Austin, business leaders gathered to announce their opposition to the series of bills which they say would

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