Rights Groups Hold Emergency Protest vs. Looming 'License to Discriminate'
'Nothing could be more un-American' than order protecting those with a religious objection to same-sex marriage, transgender people, and reproductive rights
Rights groups protested outside the White House on Wednesday ahead of an anticipated executive order from the Trump administration--one they say is nothing more than a "license to discriminate."
Politico reported Tuesday that President Donald Trump "has invited conservative leaders to the White House on Thursday for what they expect will be the ceremonial signing of a long-awaited--and highly controversial--executive order on religious liberty."
The order, whose signing Politico says "would represent a major triumph for Vice President Mike Pence," is reportedly similar to a widely denounced, leaked draft that circulated earlier this year. As The Nation and the Center for Investigative Reporting revealed at the time, that order would:
- allow religious organizations receiving federal dollars to hire and fire employees based on their beliefs;
- allow employers to deny health care benefits for birth control;
- allow federally funded groups to prevent married same-sex couples from adopting; and
- protect federal employees who refuse to do their jobs if work duties violate their beliefs.
"If this possible executive order is similar to February's draft, it would do nothing except give a national license to discriminate, and endanger LGBTQ people and their families," said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of the LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD. "President Trump is trying to create an America where my children could be turned away if a pediatrician doesn't accept my wife and me. Nothing could be more un-American."
GLAAD was one of many LGBTQ, women's, and civil rights groups represented Wednesday at an emergency protest against the order. Elected officials also made appearances.
A number of organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Lambda Legal, also vowed to pursue legal action if the order does in fact closely resemble the one leaked in February.
"The ACLU fights every day to defend religious freedom, but religious freedom does not mean the right to discriminate against or harm others," said the group's deputy legal director Louise Melling. "If President Trump signs an executive order that attempts to provide a license to discriminate against women or LGBT people, we will see him in court."
If signed, the order would come in the same week that Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), and more than 200 other members of Congress introduced the Equality Act, a federal bill to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people and women under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As the Human Rights Campaign explained, the legislation "would finally guarantee explicit, permanent protections for LGBTQ people under our nation's existing civil rights laws...in vital areas of life, like employment, access to public spaces, housing, credit, education, jury service, and federally-funded programs."
Follow the opposition to Trump's executive order under the hashtag #LicenseToDiscriminate:
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Rights groups protested outside the White House on Wednesday ahead of an anticipated executive order from the Trump administration--one they say is nothing more than a "license to discriminate."
Politico reported Tuesday that President Donald Trump "has invited conservative leaders to the White House on Thursday for what they expect will be the ceremonial signing of a long-awaited--and highly controversial--executive order on religious liberty."
The order, whose signing Politico says "would represent a major triumph for Vice President Mike Pence," is reportedly similar to a widely denounced, leaked draft that circulated earlier this year. As The Nation and the Center for Investigative Reporting revealed at the time, that order would:
- allow religious organizations receiving federal dollars to hire and fire employees based on their beliefs;
- allow employers to deny health care benefits for birth control;
- allow federally funded groups to prevent married same-sex couples from adopting; and
- protect federal employees who refuse to do their jobs if work duties violate their beliefs.
"If this possible executive order is similar to February's draft, it would do nothing except give a national license to discriminate, and endanger LGBTQ people and their families," said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of the LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD. "President Trump is trying to create an America where my children could be turned away if a pediatrician doesn't accept my wife and me. Nothing could be more un-American."
GLAAD was one of many LGBTQ, women's, and civil rights groups represented Wednesday at an emergency protest against the order. Elected officials also made appearances.
A number of organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Lambda Legal, also vowed to pursue legal action if the order does in fact closely resemble the one leaked in February.
"The ACLU fights every day to defend religious freedom, but religious freedom does not mean the right to discriminate against or harm others," said the group's deputy legal director Louise Melling. "If President Trump signs an executive order that attempts to provide a license to discriminate against women or LGBT people, we will see him in court."
If signed, the order would come in the same week that Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), and more than 200 other members of Congress introduced the Equality Act, a federal bill to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people and women under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As the Human Rights Campaign explained, the legislation "would finally guarantee explicit, permanent protections for LGBTQ people under our nation's existing civil rights laws...in vital areas of life, like employment, access to public spaces, housing, credit, education, jury service, and federally-funded programs."
Follow the opposition to Trump's executive order under the hashtag #LicenseToDiscriminate:
Rights groups protested outside the White House on Wednesday ahead of an anticipated executive order from the Trump administration--one they say is nothing more than a "license to discriminate."
Politico reported Tuesday that President Donald Trump "has invited conservative leaders to the White House on Thursday for what they expect will be the ceremonial signing of a long-awaited--and highly controversial--executive order on religious liberty."
The order, whose signing Politico says "would represent a major triumph for Vice President Mike Pence," is reportedly similar to a widely denounced, leaked draft that circulated earlier this year. As The Nation and the Center for Investigative Reporting revealed at the time, that order would:
- allow religious organizations receiving federal dollars to hire and fire employees based on their beliefs;
- allow employers to deny health care benefits for birth control;
- allow federally funded groups to prevent married same-sex couples from adopting; and
- protect federal employees who refuse to do their jobs if work duties violate their beliefs.
"If this possible executive order is similar to February's draft, it would do nothing except give a national license to discriminate, and endanger LGBTQ people and their families," said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of the LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD. "President Trump is trying to create an America where my children could be turned away if a pediatrician doesn't accept my wife and me. Nothing could be more un-American."
GLAAD was one of many LGBTQ, women's, and civil rights groups represented Wednesday at an emergency protest against the order. Elected officials also made appearances.
A number of organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Lambda Legal, also vowed to pursue legal action if the order does in fact closely resemble the one leaked in February.
"The ACLU fights every day to defend religious freedom, but religious freedom does not mean the right to discriminate against or harm others," said the group's deputy legal director Louise Melling. "If President Trump signs an executive order that attempts to provide a license to discriminate against women or LGBT people, we will see him in court."
If signed, the order would come in the same week that Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), and more than 200 other members of Congress introduced the Equality Act, a federal bill to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people and women under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As the Human Rights Campaign explained, the legislation "would finally guarantee explicit, permanent protections for LGBTQ people under our nation's existing civil rights laws...in vital areas of life, like employment, access to public spaces, housing, credit, education, jury service, and federally-funded programs."
Follow the opposition to Trump's executive order under the hashtag #LicenseToDiscriminate: