EdibleKnife
Member
I've seen several people hold up the photo of Trump with the rainbow flag as proof that he either cares about LGBTQ+ rights or is at least indifferent towards them. This complacency is dangerous and I want to show how not only is Trump against equality for LGBTQ+ citizens, let alone his cabinet but also the legislation on the horizon that is set to turn LGBTQ+ peoples into second class citizens if not pushed back against firmly.
First, from the Human Rights Campaign, here's an article on Trump's anti-LGBTQ+ history:
Within this list, the one that looms over LGBTQ+ rights the most is FADA: The First Amendment Defense Act.
Not only does this Act loom large but Trump has not stood in its way:
And from Trump and Pence's own website:
Now hopefully at this point many of you not only understand what's at stake but are also interested in how you can support efforts to make sure FADA remains nothing but a dream in the minds of GOP legislators and their supporters.
First is contacting your representatives who you can find through this site:
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
Call them and be clear about your stance in support of LGBTQ+ equality and firm opposition to FADA and everything it stands for.
Next is the legal aspect, Lambda Legal , the American Civil Liberties Union and National Center for Lesbian Rights are a few of the organizations that function specificallty for equality and the preservation of civil rights for Americans with Lambda Legal and NCLR both specializing in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Donate, share, support, become a member, whatever you are capable of doing goes a long way to assisting these organizations in the battles ahead.
Articles:
Human Rights Campaign
NBC News
Daily Beast
The Mary Sue
Support:
The Indivisible Guide:
Lambda Legal
National Center for Lesbian Rights
ACLU
Human Rights Campaign
Huffington Post
First, from the Human Rights Campaign, here's an article on Trump's anti-LGBTQ+ history:
Human Rights Campaign said:1. Trump Vowed to Rescind Marriage Equality
Donald Trump has long opposed nationwide marriage equality, calling himself a “traditional” guy, even waffling on whether he supports civil unions. Heading into the South Carolina Primary, Trump tripled down on his opposition to nationwide marriage equality.
In late January, Trump told FOX News Sunday he would appoint justices to the U.S. Supreme Court who would reverse nationwide marriage equality and when asked to clarify by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos a week later, Trump again doubled down.
Trump also told CBN’s David Brody that evangelical voters can “trust me” to oppose marriage equality, saying:
“I think they can trust me. They can trust me on traditional marriage. I was very much in favor of having the court rule that it goes to states and let the states decide. And that was a shocking decision for you and for me and for a lot of other people. But I was very much in favor of letting the states decide...”
2. Trump Endorsed Law Sanctioning Kim Davis-Style Discrimination
Donald Trump supports the so-called “First Amendment Defense Act,” (FADA), a bill to enable Kim Davis-style discrimination against LGBTQ people nationwide. FADA would undermine the rule of law and promote taxpayer-funded discrimination against same-sex couples. In a letter to the far-right organization the American Principles Project, Trump wrote in December, “If Congress considers the First Amendment Defense Act a priority, then I will do all I can to make sure it comes to my desk for signatures and enactment.”
...
3. Trump Endorsed North Carolina’s HB2; Would Let Anti-LGBTQ Governors Write Discrimination Into State Law
During a campaign appearance in Raleigh in July, Colin Campbell of The News and Observer asked Trump again about his opinion of the hateful HB2 law. Trump said, “I’m going with the state. The state, they know what’s going on, they see what’s happening and generally speaking I’m with the state on things like this. I’ve spoken with your governor, I’ve spoken with a lot of people and I’m going with the state.”
While Trump has noted how unnecessary and damaging HB2, has been to the state of North Carolina -- he has also assured conservatives he would do nothing to address it as president. Trump told Sean Hannity on FOX News that ‘he would leave it up to states’ and do nothing to intervene as president. Trump doubled down in May.
...
4. Trump Pledged to Repeal President Obama’s Executive Orders
Trump says he looks forward to repealing President Obama’s executive orders, meaning the executive order protecting LGBTQ employees working for federal contractors is at risk. That means under a Trump White House, a company doing business with the government and receiving taxpayer dollars could say “you’re fired” to LGBTQ employees just because of who they are.
This is what Trump had to say about executive orders:
“One of the beautiful things about executive orders…is, if I get elected, many of those executive orders that [Obama] signed, the first day they’re going to be unsigned.”
...
5. Spews Hatred Towards LGBTQ People -- including Women, Immigrants, Muslims, and People Living with Disabilities
Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump attacked, belittled and maligned anyone and everyone he considers different. The LGBTQ community is as diverse as our nation, and includes women, immigrants, Muslims, people of color, people living with disabilities, asylum seekers and others Trump has attacked for political gain.
Consider his attacks on immigrants, whom he has called “in many cases, criminals, drug dealers, rapists, etc.” About 30 percent of LGBTQ immigrants -- some 267,000 people -- are undocumented adults, according to a 2013 study from the UCLA’s Williams Institute. Donald Trump would forcibly remove these people and deport them, breaking up LGBTQ families and doing massive damage to our economy in the process.
Within this list, the one that looms over LGBTQ+ rights the most is FADA: The First Amendment Defense Act.
NBC News said:FADA would prohibit the federal government from taking "discriminatory action" against any business or person that discriminates against LGBTQ people. The act distinctly aims to protect the right of all entities to refuse service to LGBTQ people based on two sets of beliefs: "(1) marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or (2) sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage."
Ironically, the language of the bill positions the right to discriminate against one class of Americans as a "first amendment" right, and bans the government from taking any form of action to curb such discrimination—including withholding federal funds from institutions that discriminate. FADA allows individuals and businesses to sue the federal government for interfering in their right to discriminate against LGBTQ people and would mandate the Attorney General defend the businesses.
...
Jennifer Pizer, Law and Policy Director at Lambda Legal, told NBC Out FADA "invites widespread, devastating discrimination against LGBT people" and is a deeply unconstitutional bill.
"This proposed new law violates both Equal Protection and the Establishment Clause by elevating one set of religious beliefs above all others," Pizer said, "And by targeting LGBT Americans as a group, contrary to settled constitutional law."
Pizer warned that the bill's language also left room for individuals and businesses to discriminate against unwed heterosexual couples and single mothers, because of the clause stating that "sexual relations are properly reserved" to marriage between a man and a woman.
"There cannot be even one iota of doubt that this bill endorses one set of religious beliefs above others, and targets people in same-sex relationships, married or not, as well as unmarried heterosexual couples who live together," Pizer said. "It's an unconstitutional effort to turn the clock back to a time when unmarried mothers had to hide in shame, and LGBT people had to hide, period."
The Daily Beast said:The First Amendment Defense Act is the nuclear version of the so-called “religious freedom” laws that have appeared across the country, most infamously in Mike Pence’s Indiana. The Republican House will surely pass it, the Senate will pass it unless it’s filibustered by Democrats, and President-elect Trump has promised to sign it.
If it becomes law, FADA will be the worst thing to happen to women and LGBT people in a generation.
...
...The more important cases are ones like hospitals refusing to treat LGBT people (or their children), pharmacies refusing to fill birth control prescriptions, businesses refusing to offer health benefits to a same-sex partner, and state-funded adoption agencies refusing to place kids with gay families. Underneath the rhetorical BS, that’s what FADA is all about.
First, the bill applies to any corporation, organization, or person who “believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.”
...
What does “covered” mean? Essentially, FADA prohibits the federal government from doing anything about any of these acts. Specifically, it lists revoking tax exempt status (as it did for Bob Jones University because of its racist policies, in the case that started the whole “religious freedom” movement) and refusing any federal grant, contract, or certification.
But then the bill adds “otherwise discriminate against such person,” which actually means anything at all, so long as the government is taking some adverse action. (“Person” includes companies and organizations, remember.) For example:
- The current government policy requiring federal contractors – 20% of the entire U.S. workforce – not to discriminate against LGBT people will be immediately revoked. Contractors can legally fire people for being gay (or transgender).
- A governor can order that, in his state, no clerk anywhere may certify a same-sex marriage, and the federal government could do nothing about it.
- If a restaurant or hotel posts a sign saying “NO FAGGOTS ALLOWED,” FADA prohibits the government from “discriminating” against it by initiating an enforcement action under public accommodations laws. Gay couples may be refused hotel rooms anywhere in the country.
- If a company refuses to let a person take time off to take care of her same-sex partner in the hospital, the government cannot pursue any action under relevant employment laws.
- If a state-funded adoption agency refuses to place children with legally married same-sex couples, the government cannot withdraw its contracts with that agency. (This was a key request by Catholic adoption agencies, which receive the bulk of their funding from the government.)
- An employee at the Department of Veterans Affairs could refuse to process a claim for survivor benefits for the same-sex spouse of a service member.
- All schools and universities can discriminate against LGBT people, regardless of Title IX (as long as they link that discrimination to a view about marriage, which is quite easy to do). Universities may turn away gay applicants, deny LGBT clubs, and fire all gay faculty and staff members, with no penalties from the federal government.
- Any hospital may refuse to provide contraception, reproductive health care (including consultations of any kind), or health care of any kind to unmarried people or gay people, and not lose accreditation.
- And yes, however unlikely, your boss could fire you for having (straight) premarital sex, and no federal agency could come after you.
Not only does this Act loom large but Trump has not stood in its way:
NBC News said:On December 9, Sen. Lee's spokesperson, Conn Carroll, told Buzzfeed the election of Trump had cleared a path for the passage of FADA.
"Hopefully November's results will give us the momentum we need to get this done next year," Carroll said. "We do plan to reintroduce FADA next Congress and we welcome Trump's positive words about the bill."
"During oral arguments in Obergfell, President Obama's solicitor general admitted that if a right to same-sex marriage were created, religious institutions, including many Catholic schools, could have their tax exempt status revoked by the IRS," Carroll told NBC Out on Wednesday. "The First Amendment Defense Act was created to make sure that does not happen."
And from Trump and Pence's own website:
DonaldJTrump.com said:Religious liberty is enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution. It is our first liberty and provides the most important protection in that it protects our right of conscience. Activist judges and executive orders issued by Presidents who have no regard for the Constitution have put these protections in jeopardy. If I am elected president and Congress passes the First Amendment Defense Act, I will sign it to protect the deeply held religious beliefs of Catholics and the beliefs of Americans of all faiths. The Little Sisters of the Poor, or any religious order for that matter, will always have their religious liberty protected on my watch and will not have to face bullying from the government because of their religious beliefs.
Now hopefully at this point many of you not only understand what's at stake but are also interested in how you can support efforts to make sure FADA remains nothing but a dream in the minds of GOP legislators and their supporters.
First is contacting your representatives who you can find through this site:
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
Call them and be clear about your stance in support of LGBTQ+ equality and firm opposition to FADA and everything it stands for.
Next is the legal aspect, Lambda Legal , the American Civil Liberties Union and National Center for Lesbian Rights are a few of the organizations that function specificallty for equality and the preservation of civil rights for Americans with Lambda Legal and NCLR both specializing in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Donate, share, support, become a member, whatever you are capable of doing goes a long way to assisting these organizations in the battles ahead.
Articles:
Human Rights Campaign
NBC News
Daily Beast
The Mary Sue
Support:
The Indivisible Guide:
Swing LeftTo this end, the following chapters offer a step-by-step guide for individuals, groups, and organizations looking to replicate the Tea Party’s success in getting Congress to listen to a small, vocal, dedicated group of constituents. The guide is intended to be equally useful for stiffening Democratic spines and weakening pro-Trump Republican resolve.
Find Your RepsThis is a new initiative started to help Democrats in 2018 mid-terms.
https://swingleft.org/
https://twitter.com/swingleftorg
This is pretty important, if you want to help fight back against Trump and Republican control of government. It is difficult, but not impossible.
Lambda Legal
National Center for Lesbian Rights
ACLU
Human Rights Campaign
Huffington Post