Government Should Protect the Civil Rights and Religious Freedom of All

The U.S. Supreme Court today extended federal employment protection to LGBT employees in a decision that affirms that important issues remain, including uncertainties for religious employers. The Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance affirms extending federal protections to LGBT employees. Congress should act to resolve the uncertainties for religious employers by adopting H.R. 5331, known as the Fairness for All Act.

The Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance, a division of the Center for Public Justice, is committed to protecting the rights of all, even as we work to safeguard the religious freedom that faith-based organizations need so that they can make their distinctive contributions to the common good. Our government should ensure the civil rights and religious freedom of all citizens and organizations.

Key among America’s foundational values is protection of the right for people and organizations to exercise their religion—to live life in accordance with their deeply held convictions. Many legal precedents have been established, and much legislation adopted, detailing what the First Amendment’s protection of the exercise of religion means in real life. These provisions must be maintained while other rights are clarified and expanded. Justice and equal treatment require nothing less. The Supreme Court’s decision acknowledges these religious rights, but does not specify how they are to be safeguarded.

The way forward is provided by the Fairness for All Act, introduced into the House of Representatives last December. H.R. 5331 would extend civil rights protections to the LGBT community, while simultaneously affirming the established religious protections contained in the U.S. Constitution and in legal precedent.

The judicial system cannot provide the fine-tuning required so that federal civil rights laws will simultaneously protect the rights of LGBT people and the freedoms of people and organizations whose values differ from them. The Supreme Court’s decision is the perfect moment for Congress to take up its legislative task and to adopt the Fairness for All Act.

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The Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance, a division of the Center for Public Justice, promotes government policies, public attitudes, and organizational practices that safeguard institutional religious freedom so that faith-based organizations can make their vital and diverse contributions to the common good.