You fellas seem rather set on pushing the fearmongering agenda. As such I have recognized your claims and asked a friend who is studying law in the US and has almost graduated. The "not withstanding other law" does indeed work the way I claimed. The humongous amount of anti-discrimination laws will still be in effect. Also here's the important part he told me. This bill applies to people who claim a moral or religious basis
only regarding the 5 points it has claimed. (1) alter in any way the Federal tax treatment of, or cause any tax, penalty, or payment to be assessed against, or deny, delay, or revoke an exemption from taxation under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 of, any person referred to in subsection (a);
(2) disallow a deduction for Federal tax purposes of any charitable contribution made to or by such person;
(3) withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise deny any Federal grant, contract, subcontract, cooperative agreement, loan, license, certification, accreditation, employment, or other similar position or status from or to such person;
(4) withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise deny any benefit under a Federal benefit program from or to such person; or
(5) otherwise discriminate against such person.
It only stops the federal government from imposing such punishments. All other punishments enacted by anti-discrimination laws are still very viable and in effect. It merely cuts some slack for people who claim a moral or religious basis. It does not grant them free reign. It also does not grant a get-out-of-jail or fire-who-you-want card.
Let me repeat this. This law will not let people discriminate you personally whenever they want with no reprecussions. It will not let an employer fire you. Absolutely nothing in regards to current anti-discrimination laws will happen.
On another hand I was asked to provide facts for the wage gap. In 1963 in the USA the
Equal Pay Act was passed. It is illegal in legal businesses to pay people less than other people of the same position based on gender, race and so on.
So why do we see the infamous wage gap keep appearing? It's because the statistics do not adjust for position. A woman engineer of the same position as a man engineer makes the exact same amount of money if in the same circumstances. Women also prefer to take family duties more. That is also not accounted for. And the cream on the cake for me would be the fact that despite women increasingly entering STEM fields, all women choose less paying jobs (like a teacher) more often. What this leads is not to pay discrimination but to an overall earnings disposition simply due to what each gender is more likely to focus on.
For an easier explanation of this and a list of sources in the video description, check
this out.
Next up, why are we discussing what is considered "the west" as if that is something that has not been decided? The west has always and always will be first world countries. Countries considered the most developed and often linked with the culture and image of Europe and North America. There is nothing ambiguous about it. As you said, there is a ton of discrimination in the world, even in first world countries. The point I tried making when I said that the west was the most liberal place in the world is that it is in fact, the most liberal place on the planet. Nowhere do discriminated groups have so much power and freedom as in the west. Nowhere else is the culture shifting so rapidly to an acceptance of them. The fact that discrimination still occurs is not an argument against it. One discriminatory act in the USA does not make up for a hundred in Saudi Arabia, India or any other non 1st-world country. It simply doesn't. It gets more publicity, but it is not statistically the same level of discriminatory.
As for the free speech thing, that was my own point I wanted to make. Limiting hate speech does not make it free speech. If anything it is the precursor to censorship.
Also no, nobody is going to deny hospital care or psychologists to LGBT people just because they don't like them. First, the bill doesn't work that way. It simply doesn't. It doesn't remove anti-discrimination laws. They can still get tried for it. Second hospitals or psychologists with a problem with such people are not people I would like to help me. Maybe you can't choose when you're near death, but neither can they. They will still help you. Indirect ways of discrimination might still happen afterwards, but let's be honest. How many times do you statistically expect it to happen? People in hospitals are trying to work. Not cry or ruin your life. Same thing with a psychologist. I most definitely am not going to one that does not empathize with my issues and who I am.
So in conclusion: Chill the hell down. Nobody is cracking down on LGBT groups with this bill. Tension in the west (1st world Europe-N.America countries) is currently high, but that is still better than how it was about half a century ago from what I hear of the oldies. Nobody is going to deny you medical care without a good reason. You will not randomly be fired if your boss doesn't like you. There are literally a hundred other ways they can make you resign yourself in order to avoid paying stuff (like putting you in a room with the most boring or mundane job possible in horrible conditions, hoping you eventually resign). This bill does not grant immunity to any people who discriminate. It does no such thing.
And the gender wage gap is a myth. Before throwing out numbers to me, do check if they're adjusted for everything. Illegal businesses can pay whoever they want as much as they want, that much is true. But they're illegal. We're not discussing them. Legal ones are legally bound to pay the same for the same position between races, genders and sexual orientation.
Really, just stop with the fearmongering. There may be reason to worry about some things, but this is not one of them. Strawmans aren't cool when they're only made with straw.