Firm disowns lobbyist selling anti-gay bill
By Mike Lillis and Rebecca Shabad
A K Street lobbying giant joined a brewing battle over gay and lesbian rights Tuesday when it disowned a former employee who is hawking legislation to bar gays from the National Football League (NFL).
In an unusual public rebuke, Holland & Knight denounced the efforts of Washington lobbyist Jack Burkman, a former associate who says he’s lining up congressional support for his NFL player ban.
“Holland & Knight is proud of its support of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community and we condemn Jack Burkman’s current efforts,” senior communications manager Linda G. Butler said in a statement.
The pushback to the Burkman plan comes amid a growing media storm over an Arizona proposal that would allow businesses to refuse service to LGBT customers based on the owners’ religious beliefs.
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/199263-firm-disowns-lobbyist-selling-anti-gay-nfl-bill#ixzz2uQxx6m7Z