The Georgia State Senate has just passed a pro-discrimination, anti-gay religious license to discriminate bill, by an overwhelmingly large margin.

The Georgia State Senate has 38 Republicans and 18 Democrats. Together, they just passed a wide-sweeping anti-gay bill under the cloak of “religious freedom,” by a huge margin. The vote to close off discussion, and end any chance of amending the bill, was 38-17. The vote that passed the bill was 37-15.

The Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act, SB 129, claims that laws “neutral toward religion may burden religious exercise as surely as laws intended to interfere with religious exercise.” In other words, to allow for religious freedom the GeorgiaÂ State Senate is choosing to place the deeply held religious beliefs above those who do not practice religion.

The bill was sponsored and rushed through the Senate by Republican SenatorÂ Josh McKoon. The photos below heralding the vote were taken and posted to Twitter byÂ Michael R. Griffin,Â whose bio reads: “Pastor, Lobbyist, and Political Consultant.”Â

Ga RFRA passes ga Senate with 37 for 15 against! PTL! @ConnectGBC pic.twitter.com/knHb2VHa0m â€” Michael R. Griffin (@mikegriffinsr) March 5, 2015

The legislation is “seen as a way to enable individuals and business to refuse services for LGBT people, or for clerk officials to refuse marriage licenses for same-sex couples in the event marriage equality comes to Georgia,” the Washington Blade reports.

The bill now heads to the Georgia House, where it will likely pass, and be signed into law by Republican Gov. Nathan Deal.

The media is growing wise to these anti-LGBT bills, as they spread across the nationÂ â€“ and the tricks Republicans are using are being exposed.

“Georgia will deal with creeping sharia and marching socialism and also its unemployment rateâ€”among the highest in the nationâ€”just as soon as it passes this bill defending righteous, traditional Americans’ freedom to hate gays,” Gawker reports today.Â

Religious zealot, Fox News contributor, and Georgia resident Erick Erickson â€“ who just two weeks ago claimed the only difference between LGBT activists and ISIS is that ISIS murders people â€“ was thrilled today:

The religious liberty bill will not only pass the Georgia State Senate today, it will do so without any amendments to weaken it. â€” Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) March 5, 2015

Some more responses via Twitter:

Georgia’s RFRA / Turn the Gays Away bill passes State Senate. http://t.co/lAYJrcDCLd â€” TN Equality Project (@tnequality) March 5, 2015

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Image via FacebookÂ