Letter: Kennewick, Pasco city councils should not support or deny particular religious beliefs

Both the Kennewick and Pasco city councils are being asked to weigh in on whether a business owner has the right to use their personal religious beliefs to avoid complying with our state’s non-discrimination laws.

These exemptions would apply only to LGBT persons, since no one seriously believes they would be used in matters of race, gender, religion or other protected categories.

The city councils should not be using their official position to support or deny any particular religious belief. Separation of church and state requires that the government remain neutral in these matters and not privilege one religious group over another.

If Ms. Stutzman and her supporters truly feel that religious business owners should have a special exemption from the state’s anti-discrimination law, then let them go to the legislature and ask that they amend the law.

I’m surprised that Mr. Backholm and the Family Policy Institute have not proposed an initiative to do just that, given their eagerness in the past to put our rights up to a vote.

West Richland

This story was originally published August 29, 2015 at 6:37 PM with the headline "Letter: Kennewick, Pasco city councils should not support or deny particular religious beliefs."