Religious Freedom or Legal Discrimination? Breaking Down Georgia's New Law

In this episode of Pulse & Politics, Alana Sanders examines Georgia’s newly signed Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and its potential impact on residents and businesses across the state. The episode provides a clear breakdown of what the law entails, how it compares to similar legislation in other states, and explores real-world scenarios where the law could be used to deny services based on religious beliefs.

Sanders raises important questions about the balance between religious liberty and civil rights, encouraging listeners to reflect on how this legislation might affect everyday life, particularly for marginalized communities. This episode aims to inform, engage, and spark discussion among Georgia residents and beyond.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Stay looked in way news meets the heartbeat of the streets.
It's pulsing politics with Alina Sanders posting politics.

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Turn it up. Loud voices that matter.

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Speaking truth right now from the city to the world.
Got the facts so clear, Elina Sanders keeps it real
in here, breaking news, get the scoop state folks, stay
tuned politics, say coach every side, review, no spind just
facts in the booth so sharp. Elena Sander's bringing knowledge
where the mic and a spark polsting politics.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Turn it up.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Loud voices that matter, speaking truth.

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Right now, from the city to the world. Got the
fact so clear, Elina Sanders keeps it.

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Real in here. That's the post, that's the truth only
on pulsing politics.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Hello Sanders, how many of you call me commission? Welcome
to another episode of Post and Politics Beyond the Ballot.
Well we keep it real, break it down and talk

(01:14):
about the things that actually impact our every day lives. Today,
we're diving into a bill that's causing a lot, a
lot of buzz here in the state of Georgia. I
know there's a lot going on Georgia. The so called
religious freedom bill that just passed and was signed to

(01:38):
law by the governor on the last day of session. Sign,
sign and die. Yeah. Now, before you tune out or think, oh,
this don't affect me, I need you to hang tight.
Hang tight, because depending on who you are, where you go,
and what you believe, this bill absolutely can change how

(02:02):
you're treated in public spaces. So let's talk about it.
Let's talk about it. Shall we? What this bill? What
is this bill all about? So here's a deal. Here's
the deal. The Religious Freedom Restoration Acting on ez Refra
r FRA has officially become law in Georgia. What it

(02:25):
basically says is that the government can't substantially burden someone's
religious belief unless there's a very good reason to do so,
and it's the least restrictive way to achieve that goal.
Now that might sound harmless, Okay, respecting people's faith, that's

(02:46):
what we should be doing. We love that. That's what
we thought the bill was going to be about. Respecting
someone's space, their faith, their beliefs, what they believe in.
It's not our business. Okay, that's their personal business. But
here's where things get complicated. This bill opens the door
for individuals and businesses to use religion as a reason

(03:09):
to deny service out out of policies or a board accountability.
What could this look like in the real world. Let
me tell you. Let me give you an example that
that might be a little bit easier. Let's say you
walked into a restaurant and the owner says, sorry, I

(03:30):
can't serve you because your presence goes against my deeply
held religious beliefs. Or imagine you're applying for a job
and you're denied not because you're not qualified, because you
live a lifestyle the employer disagrees with on religious grounds.

(03:52):
We're not just talking about hypothetical situation. This is real life.
This is happening. It has happened in other states that
passed similar laws. Now, I remember I was stating that
there's so many identical bills in our southern states. It's
like they had a meeting before the meeting to come
up with this legislation and say we're gonna pass this

(04:15):
in all these states. Here's another example. You and your
partner I'm talking about same sex marriages or partnerships, same
gender walk into a bakery to order a wedding cake.
The baker says no, not because of their clothes, not

(04:35):
because they don't have the ingredients, but because of their
religious views, and under the new law, they might now
be legally protected and doing so. So let me ask
you all this, how would you feel walking into a
public business and being turned away because of who you are, are,

(04:57):
what you believe? What does this affect most? This bill
could have wide reaching effects, especially on the lgbt Q community,
people of different faith or no faith at all, and
even interracial or interfaith couples in some cases. What's wild

(05:22):
is people fought against this bill for years. Faith leaders,
business owners, civil rights activists. They've all said, listen, this
opens the door to discrimination. So here's another question for you.
Do you think religious freedom should allow someone to deny
service in businesses that are open, that are open to

(05:44):
the public. Not a private business, but open to the public.
Not a membership only business, not a certain type of
country club where you have to pay for a membership.
This is open a public business. Why or why not?
Let's keep they're real. Religious freedom should protect people's rights

(06:04):
to worship and live according to their beliefs, but should
it be a tool for discrimination. It's like we're using
religion to come at certain communities come at certain genders,
come at certain races, and that's not what it's all about.

(06:28):
What can we do about it? For one, stay in
form and find out what's happening. Know your laws and
know your rights. Number two, talk about it at church,
big congregations, groups, chat at work. Find out what people
are believing in and what's the policy for their businesses.

(06:49):
Where are these owners thinking? Where are they not just thinking?
How are they aligned with this Religious Freedom Act? We
didn't know that? Why? Because we need to spend our
money at places that believes in our mission and our goals.
We need to spend our money with businesses who are open,

(07:13):
who are not using tools to discriminate against people who
are coming in to patronize their business. Ask your favorite
local business where they're staying. Do they support inclusion for everyone?
Do they welcome all people regardless of background or identity?
Your dollars, As you can see now in this day

(07:36):
and age and all the boycotts that we have going on,
money talks. Money is power. Your dollars are powerful. Where
you spend them sends a message. So should religion ever
be a reason to exclude or deny service. I want

(07:58):
to hear from you all. If you follow me on
the social networks Elena Sanders, whether it's Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook,
let's talk about it. Send your comments, tag someone. I
want to hear your thoughts and your beliefs on this
particular bill. Have you ever been treated differently because of

(08:18):
who you are or what you believe in? I want
to hear that. I want to hear your story. Hit
me up on social media. Email me Elena Sanders at gmail.
I want to hear what you have to say. Let's
get the conversation started, because a lot of times these
bills are created and they are put into law without

(08:40):
input from the people, without input from the people. Are
thinking about the people, folks. You need to stay informed
and stay engaged. That's my time until next time. This
is Elena Sanders signing off. I want to hear from you.

(09:01):
I want to talk to you and always stay tuned
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