Friend,

Monday was a big day for the LGBTQ community. The Supreme Court ruled, 6-3, that employers can’t fire or discriminate against people for their gender identity or sexual orientation.

As you know, that discrimination is often rooted in faith—proponents of it argue their personal religious beliefs should come before the health, safety, and civil rights of everyone else.

We are elated that in this case, the Supreme Court stood for secular values. But we also know there is a long way to go, which is where the Equality Act comes in.

There is still no federal law that specifically protects the LGBTQ community from discrimination. While the recent SCOTUS ruling will have a huge impact on employment, there are still major gaps in areas like housing, credit, and education that must be closed.

The Equality Act, which was passed by the House last May and has languished in the Senate for more than a year, does just that. It also, crucially, takes the step of ensuring that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act cannot be used as an excuse to disregard discrimination laws.

Tell your Senators to pass the Equality Act NOW.

The Trump administration has already sided with the religious right on this issue. Through a number of discriminatory actions, they have been working to pursue a narrow definition of sex as biologically determined at birth.

In their ideal world, access to school bathrooms would be determined by biology, not gender identity, the military would be closed off from transgender service members, and civil rights protections would not extend to transgender people in hospitals and ambulances.

We need to put a stop to their hateful rhetoric once and for all.

With this week’s SCOTUS decision, we have momentum on our side. The workplace is safer than it has ever been for the LGBTQ community, and now is the time to push for real, lasting protections from discrimination in all aspects of their lives.

Please, take a minute to urge your Senator to support the Equality Act, or thank them for their support if they’ve already signed on as a co-sponsor.

Thanks, and stay safe out there.

Casey Brinck
Director of Policy & Government Affairs
Secular Coalition for America