Does Vice President Kamala Harris support religious freedom? The answer depends on how you define it — and which Americans you’re most worried about.
“I don’t think we’ve ever before had a candidate who has navigated various religious spaces and celebrated those various spaces in such an intimate way as the Vice President,” said the Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president of Interfaith Alliance.
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.