Pride Celebration Act

[xXTheoryXx]

CONGRESS OF THE
COMMONWEALTH OF REDMONT
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A BILL TO

AMEND THE HERITAGE, OBSERVANCE, AND NATIONAL OCCASION OF REMEMBRANCE ACT TO RECOGNISE PRIDE MONTH AS A NATIONAL OBSERVANCE

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The people of the Commonwealth of Redmont, through their elected Representatives in the Congress and the force of law ordained to that Congress by the people through the constitution, do hereby enact the following provisions into law:
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PART I - PRELIMINARIES

1. Short Title and Enactment

(1) This Act may be cited as the 'Pride Celebration Act.'

(2) This Act shall be enacted immediately upon its signage.

(3) This Act has been authored by Speaker of the House xXTheoryXx.

(4) This Act has been co-sponsored by Senator TrueDarkLander.

(5) This Act amends the following act:

(a) Heritage, Observance, and National Occasion of Remembrance Act - Act of Congress - Heritage, Observance, and National Occasion of Remembrance Act

2. Reasons and Intent

(1) The HONOR Act already serves as the Commonwealth's framework for national observances and commemorations.

(2) Consolidating Pride Month into the HONOR Act avoids creating redundant standalone legislation for national observances.

(3) The Commonwealth of Redmont is a virtual home for all players regardless of identity, and should reflect that through its culture and events.

(4) Pride celebrations were previously held in Redmont and were well received by the community.

(5) This Act is brought in response to a petition calling to "Celebrate Pride" that reached the threshold required under §5 of the Referendum Act.

PART II - AMENDMENT

3. Pride Month

(1) The following section shall be inserted as Section 4 of the Heritage, Observance, and National Occasion of Remembrance Act.

(2) The month of June shall be recognised as Pride Month in the Commonwealth of Redmont each year.

(3) During Pride Month, the Government shall:

(a) display Pride flags on government buildings and public spaces;

(b) organise or support at least one in-game Pride event, coordinated by the Department of Education or a relevant government department; and

(c) publish a government announcement affirming Redmont's commitment to inclusivity.

(4) Nothing in this section prevents Pride celebrations from being held outside of June where the Government or community organisations choose to do so.

 

[Franciscus]

Presidential Assent

We must stand together against bigotry and in a commitment to end hate. We much recognize in each other our full human dignity.

These past weeks have seen many in our community harmed by insensitivity towards the LGBT community, and I am proud to hereby grant assent to this bill and sign it into law.

 

[Staff Team]

Owner Veto

After consultation with the Network leadership team, we have decided to veto this Bill.
In no uncertain terms, the Staff Team endorses and celebrates Pride Month and the LGBTQIA+ community. Bigotry and homophobia have no place in our community, and we take our obligation to provide a safe and inclusive environment for everyone seriously. This veto is not a rejection of Pride.

Our objection is content-neutral and procedural. Network leadership does not support real-world political or religious matters to be made the subject of in-game legislation, regardless of which position a given Bill takes or how widely it is supported, as reinforced by our server rules:

1. Respect
[...]
Discussions about controversial topics such as real world politics and world religion are not permitted in public channels.

We would apply this veto identically to any Bill seeking to legislate a real-world social, political, or religious cause, whatever its stance.

The principle is that these matters are not legislated, not that this particular cause is unwelcome.

We recognise this Bill arose from a petition that met the Referendum Act threshold, and we do not dismiss that. While the community has taken an affirmative action on the LGBTQIA+ community, it is not unforeseeable that groups both present and in future may seek to repeal this Bill. Not only would this invite future bigotry, but would be counterproductive to fostering a welcome and inclusive environment.

The Government is free to continue celebrating Pride as they see fit, however we do not believe this topic or adjacent topics should be a part of political discourse. In passing this Bill, it sets a precedent that social issues can be legislated or be a topic of political debate.