Missouri Human Rights Commissioner Sparks Pushback with Testimony Against Rights Bill

The chairman of Missouri's Human Rights Commission sparked pushback and calls for his removal when he testified against a bill that would protect the rights of the state's LGBTQ+ residents.

What's more, the commission's chairman, Timothy Faber, offered his testimony not as a state official, but as a lobbyist for the Missouri Baptist Convention, according to the Daily Beast.

Democratic state lawmakers called Faber out for his testimony against the bill, and also for not having identified himself up front as also being the head of the state's Human Rights Commission.

In an April 3 letter to Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, 10 lawmakers said that Faber should be removed from his post on the commission, "due to his misleading of State Senators during a legislative hearing, and his lobbying for a position in direct contradiction to the mission of the Missouri Commission on Human Rights," the Daily Beast detailed, quoting from the letter.

"The mission of the Missouri Commission on Human Rights is to develop, recommend, and implement ways to prevent and eliminate discrimination and to provide fair and timely resolutions of discrimination claims through the enforcement of the Missouri Human Rights Act," the lawmakers' letter noted.

Moreover, "Mr. Faber did not identify himself as Chairman of the Commission, and only confirmed his position upon direct questioning from Senators," the letter said. "His attempt to obfuscate his position erodes the trust legislators require from members of Missouri's Boards and Commissions."

The bill, called the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act, "would make it illegal to discriminate against a person's sexual orientation or gender identity when applying for housing or financial loans for homeownership," the Daily Beast detailed. It was sponsored by state Sen. Greg Razer, the state's lone openly gay lawmaker.

In his March 29 testimony, Faber claimed that the bill would pave the way to lawsuits, "and referenced how much of a burden that would place on the Missouri Commission for Human Rights – without acknowledging his own involvement" on the commission, The Daily Beast recounted.

Faber also offered his thoughts about the "corrupting" influence of "sin," declaring that "Even heterosexual relationships have been corrupted because of sin," before going on to assert, "This bill cannot be separated from religion, and, particularly, religious liberty."

The Daily Beast recalled that, on social media, Faber "lauded a county in Missouri for blocking a ban on conversion therapy," and added, "he mocked children being able to choose their gender identities."

"In a post from February, he said drag queens were as offensive as people dressing up in blackface," the article said.

Faber offered the defense "that he was not trying to hide his position on the commission," and stated his intention "to continue to advocate for the Baptist Convention," local news station KSDK reported.

"He argued that there is no conflict in him serving in both roles, including lobbying on legislation that would impact his work on the commission," the outlet continued.

Said Faber: "If every private citizen is not allowed to speak on issues in other capacities, or even as a private citizen, without jeopardizing their position on a board or commission that they serve on, we're never going to get anybody to serve in these positions."

The commission Faber heads is hardly robust, the news channel noted. "Only four of the commission's 11 seats are currently filled, and Faber said the body has not had enough members to do business since August."

The news station added, "Efforts to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender have failed for years in the Missouri Legislature. Even receiving a hearing, as the legislation did this year, is a notable departure."