How Is Trump Planning to Attack Reproductive Rights, LGBT Equality, and Religious Minorities? We'll Find Out.
There is no question that President Trump hopes to stop progress toward full LGBT equality and access to reproductive rights. Trump has vowed to appoint Supreme Court justices who will overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that determined women have a fundamental constitutional right to abortion. And Trump just rescinded guidelines that protected transgender students from discrimination.
What should we brace for next? We intend to find out through our Freedom of Information Act requests filed Friday.
Last month, word circulated that Trump was on the verge of signing an executive order that would have devastating consequences for LGBT people, members of minority faiths, women, and people seeking reproductive health care. For example, it would have granted a broad exemption to existing protections under the Affordable Care Act, authorizing employers and universities to use their religious beliefs to block employees' and students' health insurance coverage for contraception. It would have authorized discrimination across a host of federal programs and services against same-sex couples and unmarried mothers based on religious beliefs. It would have authorized child welfare agencies that receive federal funding to put religious doctrine above the best interest of the children in their care. And it would have allowed government employees and taxpayer-funded social services providers to discriminate against religious minorities.
The White House denied that it would issue the leaked version of the executive order, but it did not denounce the leaked executed order, leaving the door open to future attacks against LGBT people, people seeking reproductive health care, women, and religious minorities. At the ACLU, we fight every day to defend religious freedom, but religious beliefs cannot be used to discriminate against or harm others.
Just this week we've heard rumblings that another version of an anti-LGBT and anti-reproductive rights executive order is in the works. We filed our FOIA requests today because the public has a right to know whether the Trump administration thinks that it has a license to discriminate.
In the meantime, we stand ready to fight whatever comes. Things may look bleak, but we have reasons to be hopeful. We still have the Bill of Rights and all of you to make sure its words are much more than just scribblings on paper. We'll see Trump in court, and we'll join you in the streets. Together we will fight discriminatory policies and continue our work fighting for the rights of all Americans.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will 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. |
There is no question that President Trump hopes to stop progress toward full LGBT equality and access to reproductive rights. Trump has vowed to appoint Supreme Court justices who will overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that determined women have a fundamental constitutional right to abortion. And Trump just rescinded guidelines that protected transgender students from discrimination.
What should we brace for next? We intend to find out through our Freedom of Information Act requests filed Friday.
Last month, word circulated that Trump was on the verge of signing an executive order that would have devastating consequences for LGBT people, members of minority faiths, women, and people seeking reproductive health care. For example, it would have granted a broad exemption to existing protections under the Affordable Care Act, authorizing employers and universities to use their religious beliefs to block employees' and students' health insurance coverage for contraception. It would have authorized discrimination across a host of federal programs and services against same-sex couples and unmarried mothers based on religious beliefs. It would have authorized child welfare agencies that receive federal funding to put religious doctrine above the best interest of the children in their care. And it would have allowed government employees and taxpayer-funded social services providers to discriminate against religious minorities.
The White House denied that it would issue the leaked version of the executive order, but it did not denounce the leaked executed order, leaving the door open to future attacks against LGBT people, people seeking reproductive health care, women, and religious minorities. At the ACLU, we fight every day to defend religious freedom, but religious beliefs cannot be used to discriminate against or harm others.
Just this week we've heard rumblings that another version of an anti-LGBT and anti-reproductive rights executive order is in the works. We filed our FOIA requests today because the public has a right to know whether the Trump administration thinks that it has a license to discriminate.
In the meantime, we stand ready to fight whatever comes. Things may look bleak, but we have reasons to be hopeful. We still have the Bill of Rights and all of you to make sure its words are much more than just scribblings on paper. We'll see Trump in court, and we'll join you in the streets. Together we will fight discriminatory policies and continue our work fighting for the rights of all Americans.
There is no question that President Trump hopes to stop progress toward full LGBT equality and access to reproductive rights. Trump has vowed to appoint Supreme Court justices who will overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that determined women have a fundamental constitutional right to abortion. And Trump just rescinded guidelines that protected transgender students from discrimination.
What should we brace for next? We intend to find out through our Freedom of Information Act requests filed Friday.
Last month, word circulated that Trump was on the verge of signing an executive order that would have devastating consequences for LGBT people, members of minority faiths, women, and people seeking reproductive health care. For example, it would have granted a broad exemption to existing protections under the Affordable Care Act, authorizing employers and universities to use their religious beliefs to block employees' and students' health insurance coverage for contraception. It would have authorized discrimination across a host of federal programs and services against same-sex couples and unmarried mothers based on religious beliefs. It would have authorized child welfare agencies that receive federal funding to put religious doctrine above the best interest of the children in their care. And it would have allowed government employees and taxpayer-funded social services providers to discriminate against religious minorities.
The White House denied that it would issue the leaked version of the executive order, but it did not denounce the leaked executed order, leaving the door open to future attacks against LGBT people, people seeking reproductive health care, women, and religious minorities. At the ACLU, we fight every day to defend religious freedom, but religious beliefs cannot be used to discriminate against or harm others.
Just this week we've heard rumblings that another version of an anti-LGBT and anti-reproductive rights executive order is in the works. We filed our FOIA requests today because the public has a right to know whether the Trump administration thinks that it has a license to discriminate.
In the meantime, we stand ready to fight whatever comes. Things may look bleak, but we have reasons to be hopeful. We still have the Bill of Rights and all of you to make sure its words are much more than just scribblings on paper. We'll see Trump in court, and we'll join you in the streets. Together we will fight discriminatory policies and continue our work fighting for the rights of all Americans.