The Support for Fairness for All

What people are saying about the Fairness for All approach

Institutional Statements

1st Amendment Partnership:

The 1st Amendment Partnership strongly supports the federal Fairness for All Act and we highly commend Rep. Stewart for his leadership on this important issue.  Complex, emotional and divisive cultural issues surrounding the ongoing conflict between religious and LGBT rights have found a lasting, stable resolution in the Fairness for All Act.  The Fairness for All Act ensures robust federal protections for the free and open exercise of religion and establishes basic civil rights for LGBT Americans.  No one should be forced to live in ways that violate their core beliefs or identity.  We urge Congress to pass this historic bill.


American Unity Fund:

American Unity Fund fully endorses the Fairness for All Act. This is the right solution for such a complex problem that urgently needs to be solved. Fairness for All acknowledges that we live in a diverse society. Civil rights should be guaranteed for everyone regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, or religion. Those rights can be fully protected while safeguarding religious freedom. Fairness for All is a lasting and balanced approach that will advance more freedom and liberty for all Americans, codifying significant protections for freedom of religion and freedom of speech. We urge the House to pass this historic legislation and prove that both sides of the aisle can find common ground and mutual respect for one another.


AND Campaign

All attempts to remove more traditional religious beliefs from the public square should be opposed. We, like many other Americans, affirm the historic Christian sexual ethic, and we also believe that religious freedom and LGBTQ civil rights are not necessarily in irreconcilable conflict. Faith-based charities, hospitals and colleges should not have to choose between surrendering their convictions and closing their doors. At the same time, LGBTQ people should not lose jobs and housing because of how they identify. We must pursue ways to disagree and live together without bullying or compromising our conscience. Towards that end, we encourage all 2020 candidates to support the Fairness for All Act, which will grant basic civil rights for LGBTQ people while also protecting religious freedom for all faiths


Center for Public Justice:

The Center for Public Justice supports Fairness for All legislation as a solution to address the deep differences that exist in society concerning religious freedom and LGBT civil rights. The Fairness for All bill will protect the rights and beliefs of all, without restricting the core convictions of some people or organizations at the expense of others. As a Christian organization, CPJ is committed to the historic biblical understandings of marriage and human sexuality. The Fairness for All bill acknowledges the pluralistic nature of our society, protecting religious rights and other constitutional freedoms while also ensuring basic civil rights for LGBT people. Fairness for All is a balanced and lasting answer so that all citizens, regardless of religious beliefs or sexual orientation, can live side-by-side as good neighbors.


Seventh-day Adventist Church:

The Seventh-day Adventist Church applauds the Fairness for All Act’s balanced, principled approach for protecting both religious freedom and LGBT civil rights.

Fairness for All simultaneously affirms our right to hold, express, and act upon our biblical view of sexual identity and marriage and our belief that everyone is created in the image of God and deserves to be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect. Although no legislation can offer an exhaustive approach to these complex issues, we believe Fairness for All provides a reasonable and productive way forward.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church endorses this balanced and principled piece of legislation because it affirms two essential components of our belief system: honoring God and loving our neighbor.


The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints commends the introduction of federal legislation that seeks to preserve religious freedom and protect LGBT individuals from discrimination. We’re grateful for the leadership of Utah Representative Chris Stewart and other congressional supporters of this cause. The nation is more united when diverse individuals and groups can work cooperatively to advance sound policy. Alongside other religious organizations and denominations and important leaders of the LGBT community, the Church endorses this balanced approach that fosters greater fairness for all.

 

 

Additional Thoughts on LGBTQ Rights and Religious Freedom

When religious liberty and LGBT interests collide, instead of incivility and driving toward a winner-take-all result, we should embrace civility, protection of core rights for all, and reasonable compromise.

– Robin Fretwell Wilson

Roger and Stephany Joslin Professor of Law, University of Illinois College of Law

This is not a decision only about gay people or religious people. It's a decision about how much play we will allow in the democratic joints of our society, and whether we can live out America's core principles in ways that honor and celebrate America's characteristic pragmatism and diversity.

– Jonathan Rauch

Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution

Pluralism does not mean we must or do agree with one another. But it has created a country where for over 200 years we have always figured out how to solve problems, move forward, and get along with one another — despite being the most diverse nation on earth in terms of creed, culture, and views

– Professor William N. Eskridge

John. A. Garver Professor of Jurisprudence, Yale Law School

– Professor Robin Fretwell Wilson

Roger and Stephany Joslin Professor of Law, University of Illinois College of Law

Church leaders need to embrace the growing support in their own congregations for LGBTQ civil rights protections, while we in the gay and transgender rights movement need to welcome the support from people of faith who want to work with us to advance the cause. Advancing civil rights has always required a broad, bipartisan consensus, and that’s no different in the cause for LGBTQ civil rights.

– Jeff Graham

Executive Director, Georgia Equality