BREAKING: Trump Signs Religious Executive Order -- Stay Tuned For Legal Analysis

**We will continue to update this page as we receive more analysis from our legal partners**

 

On Thursday, May 4, 2017, President Trump signed a religious Executive Order. Equality Florida's Public Policy Director, Hannah Willard, provided the following statement:

"While we await analysis on the full extent and impact of this Executive Order, what we do know is discrimination in the name of religion is always unacceptable. Period. ​

This is the second time that an anti-LGBTQ “License to Discriminate” Executive Order has been threatened and watered down. Each time, rumors were forcefully denounced and met with huge outcry, demonstrating the public’s strong opposition to anti-LGBTQ discrimination in the name of religion.

The freedom of religion is fundamental to our American values. That’s why it’s already fully protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Special religious exemptions should not give anyone the right to impose their beliefs on others, to harm others, or to discriminate.

This administration has targeted marginalized community after marginalized community, andthe Trump administration has steadily chipped away at protections for LGBTQ people since the moment he assumed office. ​

The final Executive Order released today may be a watered down version of the draconian draft we feared, but make no mistake: we have absolutely no reason to believe a more explicitly anti-LGBTQ action won't come at a future date. And if anyone in Florida uses this Executive Order to discriminate against a single member of our community, Equality Florida will be there to fight back with everything we have."

Read the full Executive Order here. 

 

Media Availability:

ORLANDO: Hannah Willard, 407-451-5460, hannah@eqfl.org
MIAMI: Stratton Pollitzer, 954-682-6094, stratton@eqfl.org
JACKSONVILLE: Amber Paoloemilio, 407-361-5132, amber@eqfl.org
TAMPA BAY: Nadine Smith, 813-817-6093, nadine@eqfl.org

 

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