Conservative Christian groups are in an outrage today over yesterday's signing of SB 1441, a California state law that extends anti-discrimination protection in state or state-funded activities to cover "sexual orientation" and "sex." Here's the text of importance from the bill:

"SECTION 1.  Section 11135 of the Government Code is amended to
read:
  11135.  (a) No person in the State of California shall, on the
basis of race, national origin, ethnic group identification,
religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, color, or disability, be
unlawfully denied full and equal access to the benefits of, or be
unlawfully subjected to discrimination under, any program or activity
that is conducted, operated, or administered by the state or by any
state agency, is funded directly by the state, or receives any
financial assistance from the state."

Conservative groups (like this one) are claiming that the bill will force Christian and other faith based schools, colleges, and child-care centers to "support" homosexuality. Other words being used are "condone" and "accept." The fundamentalist news service WorldNetDaily.com says that the Governor (not the bill, mind) has "tossed out all sexual moral conduct codes" for schools and institutions that apply.

One opponent simply concludes from the bill's signing that "The gates of Hell are prevailing against the church."

NPH admits to needing some help understanding this. So a state law that makes it illegal to deny full and equal access to or discriminate against persons based on sexual orientation in state conducted, operated, funded, or administered programs and activities amounts to a forced "acceptance" and "support" of homosexuality? You-can't discriminate=You-must-condone?

Let me just go out on a limb here and suggest that it makes Christians look bad when a law banning discrimination gets them this upset. I mean, why aren't the gates of Hell prevailing against the church because of its lavish wealth and complicity in war? Why is the devil only at work in those things that limit the exclusion of persons in democratic state programs? One would think that the whole of Christianity amounts to the practice of exclusion and discrimination, because when the government curbs those activities these Christians react like martyrs.