Friend,

The Trump administration is out of power (cue a deep sigh of relief for those who want to separate religion and government), but we’re far from finished repairing the damage caused by Trump’s administration.

Before President Biden was sworn in, AU filed two new lawsuits to overturn a pair of Trump’s most recent attacks on freedom of religion.

Please read on to learn more about this pair of important legal actions, and then click here to support our work to hold the Trump administration accountable.

FIRST: AU is suing the Trump administration for undoing protections for religious freedom and access to social services.

On its last full day in power, the outgoing Trump administration gutted protections for vulnerable people that required faith-based organizations providing critical, taxpayer-funded social services (like food and shelter) to inform recipients of their legal rights to be free from religious discrimination, not to have to attend religious programming, and to obtain a referral to an alternative provider.

It’s shameful. In the midst of a historic pandemic and severe economic downturn, this rollback makes it harder for America’s most vulnerable to access taxpayer-funded services without sacrificing their religious freedom.

SECOND: AU is suing to overturn Trump’s new Department of Education rule that forces universities to fund discrimination by student groups. Under this rule, religious student clubs that reject students from membership or leadership positions on the basis of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other protected characteristics must still receive university funding.

That means, for example, that student activity fees paid by an LGBTQ student can be used to fund the activities of a club that openly discriminates against them.

We are seeking an invalidation of this rule, which attempts to justify discrimination and harm to others by misusing religious freedom.

Look: Our legal advocacy on behalf of church-state separation is more important than ever, but it requires significant resources. If you want to help, please click here to support AU with a generous donation today.

The path to restoring and protecting religious freedom will not be easy, but there is ample reason to be hopeful. Yesterday, President Biden’s first day in office, Trump’s Muslim Ban was repealed – an action AU has called for since the ban began.

Pandering to the agenda of White Christian nationalism will no longer be a priority for the White House, but those seeking to make America a “Christian nation” are more empowered and determined than they’ve been in a generation.

But we are just as determined. The time for church-state separation supporters to double down on protecting the Constitution is right now.

To make a donation in support of AU’s work, click here.

Sincerely,

Naomi Paiss
VP of Strategic Communications