President Biden Has Promised to Pass the Equality Act—Here’s How That Threatens Your Freedoms

According to Alliance Defending Freedom, “. . . With a Democrat-controlled House and Senate, the passage of this legislation is more likely than ever before. And President Joe Biden campaigned on the promise that he would sign the Act into law within his first 100 days if passed.  . . .

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It is a deliberate attempt to force people of faith—good people who serve everyone—to promote messages and celebrate events that conflict with their sincere beliefs. The “Equality Act” would also threaten the equal treatment of women and upend the bedrock understanding of male and female in our law and culture.  . . .

What is the “Equality Act”?

The essence of the “Equality Act” is its addition of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as protected classes to already existing federal nondiscrimination laws. This would prohibit employers, preschools, and even religious schools and organizations from making choices based on basic biology, bodily privacy, and their beliefs about the nature of marriage. It would apply to every single recipient of federal financial assistance (including every public school and almost all colleges and universities.) . . .

The good news is that God has equipped Alliance Defending Freedom for such a time as this.

With 11 Supreme Court victories since 2011, ADF will stand up to the Biden administration, all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary, to protect the First Amendment rights of Americans.

How would the “Equality Act” threaten religious freedom and free speech?

ADF has seen the impact that laws similar to the “Equality Act” have had across the country. And we stand ready to provide a strong defense for religious freedom and free speech.

• The “Equality Act” could forbid churches and religious nonprofits from requiring their employees to live out their religious beliefs about marriage, sexual morality, and the distinction between the sexes. They could be required to open their sex-specific facilities to members of the opposite sex. ADF successfully represented one Massachusetts church after the government threatened to force it to open its women’s shelter for victims of domestic violence to males.
• The “Equality Act” would threaten religious foster care and adoption agencies with closure if they operate according to their deeply held belief that the best place for a child is a home with a married mother and father. In New York, for example, the state is using a sexual orientation, gender identity regulation—similar to the “Equality Act”—to shutter the adoption services of New Hope Family Services, which has been placing children in loving homes for over 50 years. ADF is representing New Hope in court.
• It would threaten creative professionals and other business owners who simply want to live and work according to their beliefs. ADF successfully represented promotional printer Blaine Adamson after he respectfully declined an organization’s request to print shirts with a message promoting an LGBT pride festival because the message violated his religious beliefs. But Blaine offered to connect the organization to another printer who would create the requested shirts. Even so, the organization filed a discrimination complaint against Blaine, and a local human rights commission ordered him to undergo diversity training.
• The “Equality Act” would also force individuals to speak messages that violate their beliefs under the threat of punishment. ADF is representing Dr. Nicholas Meriwether, who was disciplined by Shawnee State University for declining to refer to a male student as a woman. He offered to refer to the student by first or last name only, in order to respect both the student and his own beliefs, but this did not satisfy the university, which still punished him.

How would the “Equality Act” threaten women?

• The “Equality Act” would force women to share private spaces with men.

This is a threat to women who need critical services, such as those provided by Downtown Hope Center in Anchorage, Alaska. ADF successfully defended Downtown Hope Center after the city government tried to force the shelter to allow biological men who identify as female to sleep mere feet from women, many of whom have suffered rape, sex trafficking, and domestic violence. For these women, having a biological man in the room where they sleep or undress triggers severe anxiety and trauma—so much so that one woman said she would have to leave the shelter and sleep in the woods in the Alaskan winter, because she could not sleep in the same room as a biological male.

• The “Equality Act” would also undermine the purpose of Title IX.

Title IX was created to ensure equal opportunities for women in education. The “Equality Act” could destroy many of those opportunities. Among other consequences, the “Equality Act” could allow male athletes who identify as female to compete in women’s sports. . . .

What about the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)—doesn’t that provide some protection for these groups?

If you’re not already concerned about the scope and reach of the “Equality Act,” here’s another issue.

In the past, similar proposals have claimed to respect the concerns of the religious community, offering a few narrow protections for religious freedom. But the “Equality Act” offers no protections for religious freedom . In addition, the bill would forbid religious individuals and organizations even to invoke the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. That would make it harder for the faithful to defend themselves against a bill designed to punish them for living out their beliefs. . . .

The Bottom Line

Laws must respect freedom and promote justice for every citizen, no matter who they are. But that is not what the “Equality Act” does. Instead, it threatens Americans’ fundamental liberties. And that is something no American should stand for.

Resources

According to All For Freedom, “The resources below demonstrate why such legislation should be rejected.

Timing of Puberty Suppression and Surgical Options for Transgender Youth . . .

Backgrounder: How to Think About Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Policies and Religious Freedom

Backgrounder: How to Think About Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Policies and Religious Freedom . . .

Backgrounder: Gender Identity Policies in Schools: What Congress, the Courts, and the Trump Administration Should Do  . . .

The Equality Act’s Unexpected Impacts . . .

SOGI Proposals: Unfair and Unjust  . . .

The Victims of SOGI Laws  . . .

Resolution Opposing Coercive Measures Against the Freedom to Believe the Bible on Marriage, Sexuality, and Gender . . .

FAQ: What Christians Should Know About the Equality Act . . .

Poll: Americans Oppose Potential Consequences of SOGI Protections . . .

Special Report: Sexuality and Gender; Findings from the Biological, Psychological, and Social Sciences . . .

A Brave New World of Transgender Policy . . .

Shields, Not Swords . . . 

Fair Play? Women’s Athletics in the Age of Gender Identity . . .

The Inequality of the Equality Act: Concerns from the Left . . .

Biology Isn’t Bigotry: Why Sex Matters in the Age of Gender Identity . . .

Gender Dysphoria in Children: Understanding the Science and Medicine . . .

Medical Harms of Hormonal and Surgical Interventions for Gender Dysphoric Children . . .

Letters

Letters to the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services

• American Association of Christian Schools
• Association of Christian Schools International
• Medical Professionals
• Religious Coalition

Letters to the House Judiciary Committee

• C12 Group
• Citygate Network

Letters to the House of Representatives

• March for Life Action
• Agudath Israel of America
• Religious Denominations, Schools, and Charities . . .

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