Friend:

As we prepare for Supreme Court opinions any day now that could further erode religious freedom, I continue to work hard to remember that we have no choice but to continue to invest in making America the country we want it to be. This piece by Dahlia Lithwick in Slate was helpful to me, so I wanted to share it with you.

Meanwhile, I’m happy to share some good news for church-state separation—a pair of recent court wins in two Americans United cases! On Tuesday, a federal appeals court allowed our lawsuit on behalf of Gregg Tucker to proceed. Gregg was an exemplary teacher and director of student life who was fired by a private Christian school in Colorado after he put on a school assembly to address pervasive racism there. The school’s attorneys at Becket Fund wrongly claim Gregg was a “minister” and that federal employment protections against race discrimination therefore don’t apply to him. But Gregg wasn’t a minister, and the court’s ruling allows him the opportunity to prove that in court.

A few days earlier, a federal court in California ruled in favor of our client the San Jose Unified School District, which has a policy that prevents official school clubs from discriminating against students. The district declined to recognize a chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes that requires student leaders to sign an anti-LGBTQ statement of faith and “sexual purity” statement, effectively barring LGBTQ students from club leadership in violation of this school policy. The club sued the school district; a court last Friday declined to force the district to recognize the club while litigation is ongoing.

As we celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month and look ahead to our newest federal holiday recognizing Juneteenth and our country’s fight for racial justice, we at AU reaffirm our commitment to combating the misuse of religious freedom as a license for any type of discrimination—even as white Christian nationalists and the ultra-conservative members of the Supreme Court make that an uphill battle. It’s a battle AU has fought for 75 years, and we’re not going anywhere. Our nation’s promise of freedom without favor and equality without exception is worth it, no matter how long it takes to achieve.

With hope and determination,

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO

P.S. If you’re in Washington, D.C., please stop by AU’s booth at Capital Pride from noon to 7 p.m. ET tomorrow and say hi! Or if you’re participating in Pride events in your community, please email me your photos or tag us at @americansunited on social media—I love to see the faces of AU supporters proudly defending freedom and equality for all. Happy Pride!