Religious conservatives will hold a rally Friday across from the Capitol a little less than a month after Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed “religious liberty” legislation that many of them strongly supported.
State Sen. Josh McKoon, R-Columbus; U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga.; and several ministers are scheduled to speak at a "We Stand with God Pro-Family Rally" in Liberty Plaza, starting at 11 a.m.
Deal defied religious conservatives a few days after the end of the 2016 General Assembly session by vetoing a religious liberty measure aimed at strengthening legal protections for opponents of gay marriage.
The bill was opposed by gay rights groups, who warned that the measure amounted to legalized discrimination and pointed to the corporate outrage that rocked Indiana after a similar measure was signed into law there.
Executives from dozens of big-name companies — including Apple, Disney, Intel, Salesforce and Time Warner — criticized the measure, while the National Football League warned it could risk Atlanta's bid to host a Super Bowl.
But Republican Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, a likely candidate for governor in 2018, said such legislation is backed by a "silent majority" of Georgians. And GOP leaders promised to come back next year with another religious liberty bill.
A majority of grass-roots Republican activists in Georgia's 14 congressional districts passed resolutions last weekend urging lawmakers to revive the religious liberty legislation — and blasting Deal for vetoing this year's version of the measure.
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