In addition to President-elect Donald Trump’s promise that he’ll be “closing up the Department of Education,” one of the more troubling planks of his education platform is his pledge to “support bringing back prayer to our schools.” How could he bring back something that never left? “As long as there are math tests, there will be prayer in schools,” said the late James Dunn of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty...
Do No Harm: Resisting the Misuse of Religious Exemptions
When does the right to religious freedom become a justification for harm? This question is at the heart of the misuse of religious exemption laws. These laws – protections granted under the First Amendment and utilized for centuries by individuals of all faiths – have been exploited by Christian Nationalists to undermine other fundamental rights, including equality and non-discrimination.
The Moral and Financial Harm of Conversion Therapy: Why Chiles v. Salazar Matters for All of Us
One of the most harmful manifestations of discrimination is so-called “conversion therapy,” which is a debunked and dangerous practice that falsely claims to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear Chiles v. Salazar, a case challenging Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy” and the constitutionality of Colorado’s Minor Conversion Therapy Law (MCTL), we face a pivotal moment. The central legal issue concerns whether Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors infringes upon the First Amendment rights of licensed mental health professionals.