Contact: Liberty Counsel, 407-875-1776, Media@LC.org; Press Kit 

LINCOLN, Neb., April 7, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- Yesterday Nebraska state senators ended debate on LB173, a bill that would have added "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to the state's employment nondiscrimination statues. This bill would also have allowed municipalities to add "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to their public accommodation and housing nondiscrimination statutes.

Nebraska will join at least 14 other states and 70 cities that have rejected sexual orientation and gender identity proposals in the last year.

Liberty Counsel's Director of Public Policy, Jonathan Alexandre, spent this week traveling throughout Nebraska meeting with concerned citizens, business owners, religious leaders and legislators and presenting arguments in opposition to the proposed law. Immediately before the legislature convened to debate this bill, Alexandre spoke at a breakfast attended by several Nebraska senators and their staff. Right after the breakfast and floor debates, the speaker of the house killed the bill.

Alexandre said, "Laws like LB173 are consistently used to criminalize anyone who speaks against it. This has been the case for countless business owners across the country who have been victims of the LGBT agenda. The legislature's decision not to move forward with this bill is a good move and is consistent with its duty to preserve the privacy rights and dignity interests of all Nebraskans. It is wrong to force some people into intimate situations with members of the opposite sex while forcing religious institutions to deny their moral convictions on human sexuality."

Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.