Media Coverage: The Guardian

- Article by NSWCCL Committee Member, Lydia Shelly, lawyer and student in terrorism and security studies.

'‘For Muslims, this bill is a Trojan horse. It will enshrine prejudice and discrimination into law."

This article brings to light the very real challenges that the Religious Discrimination Bill 2019 raises for people of minority faiths and the LGBTQI community.

Political leadership (or rather the lack of leadership) is cultivating intolerance and division, people feel they have the “right to be a bigot”, hate speech is rising. The LGBTQI community feels it is being demonised.

This current debate erases the existence of people who belong to both the LGBTQI community and a faith community. You can be same-sex attracted and be of faith. They are not two mutually exclusive concepts.

'Protections for faith-based groups can be achieved in the bill without sacrificing those in the LGBTQI community,' writes Lydia.  

Read the full article HERE.