GAY TRUTH

A coalition of business interests is descending on Texas lawmakers to pressure them to abandon several pieces of pending legislation that would protect various professionals in the state from being forced to engage in practices that violate their consciences on issues such as abortion and sexuality. The Texas Legislature is currently considering a handful of religious-freedom bills, the Austin American-Statesman reports. They would bar state licensing agencies from limiting professionals’ ability to act on a “sincerely held religious belief,” let medical professionals refuse to provide non-emergency treatments such as abortions, let Texans choose not to provide goods, services, or participation to same-sex “weddings,” let judges refuse to perform “marriages” that conflict with their religious beliefs, protect businesses’ right to segregate bathrooms based on biological sex, and allow religious groups including university organizations limit hiring, renting, or membership to indi

Nearly thirty companies from and outside Northern Ireland have signed a letter calling on the province to recognize same-sex “marriages” within its borders. Organized by the left-wing Amnesty International UK,  the letter  argues that redefining marriage is an economic necessity. “A diverse, outward-looking and inclusive society is essential to create a vibrant and competitive economy and a prosperous future for Northern Ireland,” it claims. “Equality contributes to an environment of creativity and excellence where our LGBT staff feel able to bring their whole selves to the workplace and where their relationships will be respected.” Signatories include Allstate, Axiom, the Bank of Ireland, Citi, Coca-Cola, IBM, Liberty Mutual Insurance, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Sodexo, and more. “Without full legal recognition of same-sex marriages retaining and attracting talent can be difficult,” Rainbow Project director John O’Doherty claimed. “The brain drain from Northern Ireland is a