This order, and the President’s remarks at the signing ceremony, are a yet another development in the disturbing pattern of religious exemption bills and policies surfacing at the state and federal levels.
For Immediate Release — May 4, 2017
NEW YORK, N.Y. — Today President Trump signed a deeply troubling Executive Order that blurs the constitutionally-protected boundaries between church and state, and grants Attorney General Jeff Sessions a broad license to overlook, permit, or even encourage discrimination against the LGBTQ community by federal employees, contractors, and grantees.
In addition to laying the groundwork for expanded anti-LGBTQ discrimination, Trump’s Order attempts to promote partisan political activity and spending by houses of worship and religious organizations, and limits access to contraception and other critical preventative healthcare for all women, including lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women.
Responding to the order, Family Equality Council CEO Rev. Stan J. Sloan said:
“This order, and the President’s remarks at the signing ceremony, are a yet another development in the disturbing pattern of religious exemption bills and policies surfacing at the state and federal levels. These religious exemptions undermine protections for LGBTQ families in general, and they disproportionately impact those living on low incomes or who are otherwise vulnerable. As an Episcopal priest, I am deeply disturbed by the hijacking of religious faith to justify political and social discrimination.”
“Over the past decade, Family Equality Council has worked hard to ensure our families are visible, recognized, and protected throughout the federal government. Today, we see these gains being undermined from the White House and the Justice Department to the halls of State Government across the country. We will stay watchful, vigilant, and ready to fight against any attempts to further legitimize or legalize discrimination against the LGBTQ community.”
About Family Equality Council
Family Equality Council connects, supports, and represents the three million parents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer in this country today and their six million children of all ages. We are changing attitudes and policies to ensure that all families are respected, loved, and celebrated — including families with parents who are LGBTQ. We are a community of parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren and unattached youth that reaches across this country. For almost forty years we have raised our children and raised our voices toward fairness for all families. As we look to the next chapter of our work, we are also focused on LGBTQ youth needing families and the two million LGBTQ adults waiting to foster or adopt in our country.