Missouri Democrats are calling for the removal of Timothy Faber, the director of the state's Human Rights Commission (HRC), after he testified against a bill that bans discrimination against individuals in the LGBTQ+ community.
On March 29, Faber testified that "an employer or a landlord can discriminate against someone based on a number of factors — that's their right." Faber added that the anti-discrimination policy — introduced by Missouri's only openly gay Senator — went against religious freedom.
Missouri Senator Doug Beck tells KMOX that the move "erodes the trust legislators require from members of Missouri boards and commissions" and says it proves that he is no longer fit to fulfill his duties as Chairman. Additionally, Beck said, while Faber was testifying he did not make it clear that he was chairman of the HRC.
"He started referring to the Missouri Human Rights Commission as 'they.' As some sort of entity that was beyond him. And 'they' would be overwhelmed with cases, and all these other things he said," Beck said. "And, when I questioned him on that, not only is discrimination claims, but when I questioned him on, shouldn't you say 'we' instead of 'they,' and isn't that misleading? Aren't you misleading us as a committee here? And then he revealed who he was."
So how did someone who may not support anti-LGBTQ discrimination end up as the chair of the Human Rights Commission? Beck explained that Faber was appointed by Governor Parson, and that then "apparently he became the liaison for the Southern Baptist churches afterwards, which is even more disturbing."
Beck and other Missouri Democrats are vying for Parson to remove him from office, and say it would be a simple move. Beck said he still remains shocked that Faber testified, and that he misled the committee by failing to disclose his position with the Human Rights Commission.
"That to me, is disturbing. I'm not sure how we can have — you know, committee hearings, we have liaisons all the time to come here but they identify who they are. And most of the time they only testify for information only," Beck said. "And to have an individual that's supposed to protect against discrimination, you come here and say it's okay to discriminate — that's the other part of the issue."
According to reports from KSDK, Faber said he was not trying to hide his position as chairman of the HRC and said there was no conflict between his work in that position and his work on behalf of the Baptist Convention.
Copyright 2023 KMOX (Audacy). All Rights Reserved.
Follow KMOX | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Listen on the free Audacy app.
Tell your smart speaker to play K M O X.
