Why the Supreme Court Can’t Save Us From 'Religious Liberty'

[rug]

The legal rock stars who helped secure the freedom to marry aren't so sure the same strategy works for "religious liberty."

BY SUNNIVIE BRYDUM
JUNE 08 2016 6:16 AM EDT

Religious freedom is all the rage these days. To hear it told by conservative activists, the constitutional promise of each citizen’s free exercise of religion is under attack like no other time in U.S. history. Surely, such an urgent question is headed for the Supreme Court, right?

Maybe not so fast. Several out attorneys who have spent decades fighting for LGBT civil rights tell The Advocate that we may be settling in for another long, drawn-out battle that challenges discriminatory laws state by state, clause by clause.

“The question is, should religious freedom be used as a sword to create a license to discriminate, to undermine civil rights advances that have already been made?” That's how Evan Wolfson frames the decision judges will face. He's the founder of Freedom to Marry and a key architect of the legal and cultural strategy that won marriage equality.

It’s no secret that the recent uptick in legislation aimed at protecting “religious freedom” is in part a backlash to the same-sex marriage victory and the other historic gains achieved in LGBT equality over the past few years. In some ways, the onslaught of discriminatory bills was predictable.

http://www.advocate.com/politics/2016/6/08/why-supreme-court-cant-save-us-religious-liberty