Friend:

This week, we saw President Trump’s hypocritical embrace of what he likes to call “religious freedom” on full display at the United Nations General Assembly.

Trump announced the formation of a “coalition of U.S. businesses for the protection of religious freedom” in the workplace just weeks after his own Department of Labor proposed a new rule that would allow government contractors to fire anyone who doesn’t meet their religious litmus test.

Religious freedom is not the right to harm others. It is a shield to protect, not a sword to do harm. It’s so important that we make that principle clear – not just to Trump, but to decision-makers throughout the country.

In less than two weeks, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in three cases that will determine whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQ people from discrimination at work. Our fundamental constitutional commitment to religious freedom means that religion should never be used to harm others. Yet sadly, religion often motivates discrimination against LGBTQ people. The consequences of the Supreme Court’s decisions in these cases will therefore be monumental for the millions of Americans who are constantly under siege from religiously motivated discrimination.

I will be on the steps of the Supreme Court on the morning of the arguments, Tuesday, Oct. 8, to rally for the Title VII protections that allow LGBTQ people to live and work as equals under the law. If you want to join us from afar, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re in the Washington, D.C., area, please come be with us in person!

With hope and determination,