Donald Trump is reported to be issuing a “license to discriminate” executive order Thursday, but don’t despair — not only will it undoubtedly be challenged in court, there are ways to try to stop it.
GLAAD has started a petition against the order, reading simply, “I stand against any license to discriminate.” You can sign it here.
You can also tweet @realDonaldTrump against #LicenseToDiscriminate and find local rallies against the order. If he does issue it, be prepared for a huge protest tomorrow.
Trump has invited leaders of the religious right to the White House Thursday, which is the National Day of Prayer, and is expected to sign the order then, Politico reported yesterday. It would be a huge victory for the religious right, including Vice President Mike Pence.
A draft of the order obtained by The Nation three months ago indicated it would provide exemptions from antidiscrimination laws “for people and organizations who claim religious or moral objections to same-sex marriage, premarital sex, abortion, and trans identity,” the magazine reported at the time. It also “construes religious organizations so broadly that it covers ‘any organization, including closely held for-profit corporations,’ and protects ‘religious freedom” in every walk of life: ‘when providing social services, education, or healthcare; earning a living, seeking a job, or employing others; receiving government grants or contracts; or otherwise participating in the marketplace, the public square, or interfacing with Federal, State or local governments,’” according to The Nation. And reports indicate the order has changed little since the first leaked draft.
LGBT and allied organizations protested the proposed order today at Washington, D.C.’s Lafayette Park, just across from the White House, the Washington Blade reports. Speakers included Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, a White House LGBT liaison under President Obama; Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin, National LGBTQ Task Force executive director Rea Carey; and Winnie Stachelberg, executive vice president of external affairs at the Center for American Progress. Members of Congress attending included Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York and Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon; Merkley introduced the Equality Act in the Senate Tuesday.
“When you go into a business and you open your door in America, you open your door to everyone,” Merkley said, according to the Blade. “You don’t get to slam the door shut because of a color of person’s skin, you don’t get to slam the door shut because of their gender, and here in America, we need to make sure that you can’t just slam the door shut because of who a person is or who they love.”
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