Tennessee State Representative John Ragan – who put forth legislation to allow state licensed religious adoption agencies to discriminate against same-sex married couples –  told a reporter that his legislation is intended to discriminate. 

Ragan’s legislation is designed to provide a religious exemption from any state adoption licensing requirement that contradicts sincerely held religious beliefs.  If Ragan’s position is accepted, any business owned by religious persons with sincerely held religious beliefs offering goods and services to the public could potentially legally discriminate against non religious persons.

Essentially Representative Ragan’s position is that a person who physically exits a house of worship and desires to apply their sincerely held beliefs into the world at large outside of the house of worship should be entitled to operate businesses and maintain beliefs even if those beliefs contradict State and Federal laws designed to protect discrimination.