News From The Week Of April 26 – April 30, 2021

Friend:

This week marked the 100th day of the Biden administration, and in that time President Biden has made real progress in protecting church-state separation. Most recently, the administration scrapped a Trump-era Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposal that would have attacked transgender rights, in part under the guise of religious freedom ([link removed]).

If this Trump rule had been put in place, staff at federally funded shelters would have been able to cite their religious beliefs as a reason to refuse service to transgender people. It would have been another opening for religious discrimination with taxpayers’ money. Thankfully, this harmful proposed rule has been discarded. I like the way HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge put it: “HUD is open for business for all.”

This rule change follows several other significant steps ([link removed]) from the White House toward restoring and protecting church-state separation. The Muslim and African Bans, which AU fought in court for over four years, have been repealed. Numerous policies that pandered to Christian nationalists and harmed LGBTQ people have been ended. The White House Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships Office is now led by church-state separationist Melissa Rogers. This is real progress, but there’s still much more to be done.

That’s why AU led the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination (CARD) in sending a letter on behalf of 77 organizations to Rogers ([link removed]). In it, we urged the Biden administration to:

- Restore protections – stripped by the Trump administration – for people who use federally funded social-service programs

- End federally funded employment discrimination

- Revisit policies, guidance, opinions, memoranda, and other actions currently in place that misuse religious freedom to allow discrimination or other harms

You can read the letter and view the long list of signers – including leading civil rights, religious, secular, reproductive freedom and LGBTQ equality groups – here: [link removed]

Friend, YOU are what make AU’s leadership possible. Together we can ensure the trend set in these first 100 days continues, and make the coming months and years a turning point for religious freedom and church-state separation.

With hope and determination,

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO

77 Organizations Urge New Path Forward For Biden’s White House On Religious Freedom:
The Coalition Against Religious Discrimination (CARD), of which Americans United is a member, is urging the White House’s Faith-Based Office to restore critical religious freedom protections and chart a new path forward with even more robust protections.
READ MORE » [link removed]

So How’s He Doing? Biden Marks 100 Days In Office:
To mark President Joe Biden's 100 days in office, here are five areas in which he's made real progress in restoring and protecting church-state separation.
READ MORE » [link removed]

Biden Administration Axes Trump-Era HUD Rule That Attacked Transgender Rights:
The latest anti-LGBTQ Trump-era policy to be reversed by the Biden administration is a particularly cruel provision proposed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that could have led to transgender people being denied access to federally funded homeless shelters.
READ MORE » [link removed]

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