{"id":506144,"date":"2021-02-08T22:43:55","date_gmt":"2021-02-08T22:43:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glaad.logalt.net\/tap\/mike-lee\/"},"modified":"2023-04-21T22:29:42","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T22:29:42","slug":"mike-lee","status":"publish","type":"gap","link":"https:\/\/glaad.org\/gap\/mike-lee\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Lee"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2014Introduced<\/a> legislation to ban transgender athletes from participating in women\u2019s sports. The bill, purporting to “protect women and girls,” was introduced a month after the deadly siege at the Capitol.<\/p>\n

\u2014Introduced the \u201cFirst Amendment Defense Act\u201d in 2015 and 2018<\/a>. The legislation would allow religious-based nonprofits or groups that receive government contracts or grants to run homeless shelters, food pantries or counseling services, to refuse service to same-sex couples.<\/p>\n

\u2014Was the lone U.S. senator to block the unanimous consent of nominee Chai Feldblum to serve on Equal Employment Opportunity Commission<\/a> because of her support for LGBTQ rights. Lee claimed that Feldblum,\u2014who is a lesbian and was first appointed by President Barack Obama and re-nominated for Senate confirmation by President Donald Trump\u2014wants to \u201cuse the might of government to stamp out traditional marriage supporters.\u201d He called for a replacement nominee \u201cwho respects the institution of marriage and religious freedom for all Americans.\u201d The EEOC is the federal department where Americans can seek assistance with complaints regarding employment discrimination on the basis of, among other factors, gender identity and sexual orientation.<\/p>\n

\u2014In a Senate hearing, excoriated NCAA president Mark Emmert<\/a> for the association\u2019s opposition to the Idaho law banning transgender athletes from participating in student sports, and resumes gender verification in competitive sports. \u201cI am concerned about the NCAA\u2019s track record of undermining women by pushing schools to allow individuals born biologically of one gender to participate in another gender\u2019s sports,\u201d Lee said. \u201cI\u2019m worried about some of the policies that you\u2019ve taken. It\u2019s offensive to me and to millions of Americans that the great strides our society has taken to protect women\u2019s rights and women\u2019s sports are now at the risk of being undone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Signed onto<\/a> an amicus brief<\/a> arguing that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act doesn\u2019t protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.<\/p>\n

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