After a decade of debate, Georgia now has a ‘religious liberty’ law

About 30 states now have similar religious liberty laws, though opponents note that Georgia does not have a comprehensive state civil rights statute.

“It was just relief that the nonsense that’s confused the public about what the Religious Freedom Restoration Act simply does was finally over,” says Republican State Sen. Ed Setzler, who for years had been a driving force trying to pass a religious liberty law in Georgia.

Setzler says pandemic-era restrictions on large gatherings helped reframe the debate.

“Folks saw those kinds of extreme actions by government shut down people’s basic practice of faith,” Setzler says. “Folks said, ‘Wait a minute, we’ve got to put protections in place.”

Graham sees another explanation. He points to the climate surrounding the 2024 election of President Donald Trump, who has railed against diversity, equity and inclusion. Groups like Georgia Equality have also had to triage, pivoting more resources to opposing new bills targeting transgender people. Continue reading…