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New “Religious Liberty” Executive Order: Unconstitutional, License to Discriminate against LGBT People

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Ash Orr (they/he)

President Trump is expected to sign a “religious liberty” executive order Thursday, which groups fear would promote discrimination against LGBT Americans. National Center for Transgender Equality Executive Director Mara Keisling offers the following statement:

“For a little more than 100 days, the President has stood on the side of discrimination time and again, from his radical appointees to the signing of one sweeping and shameful executive order after another. And each an egregious attempt to establish discrimination as the law of the land, by fiat. This so-called religious liberty order would be the most dangerous attack yet against ten million LGBT Americans, including more than 1.5 million who are transgender. By entertaining the notion that one group can and should impose their viewpoints on others even to the point of discrimination using tax dollars, the President demonstrates a failure to comprehend democracy as prescribed by our Constitution, as well as a core tenet of our nation: justice for all.
 
Justice cannot occur for all when some can choose to forsake their duties, and others can be fired or denied lifesaving government services because of who they are. Republican and Democratic governors alike have vetoed similar proposals at the state level, seeing such bills for what they are: divisive, reactionary and un-American. Should the President sign this executive order, he will not bridge the divides between people, but would instead give ideologues a license to discriminate.”

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