The Costs of Doing Nothing

When we fail to find common ground between communities and enact protections for all individuals, the costs of failure loom large. LGBT individuals face discrimination day by day, keeping them from succeeding in the workplace, finding housing in the marketplace, and being treated like any other customer in businesses open to the public. This discrimination has a documented effect on LGBT individual’s mental health, for more information click here. Religious individuals face similar crises, afraid to exercise their religious beliefs in the public square for fear of retribution and concerned about their ability to maintain their religious identity. The culture wars, which have villainized others in the name of protecting people, do nothing to bring us together amid this hurt.

But with clearly-defined laws that give protections to both communities, we can preempt discrimination and the destructive and costly litigation that results from it from ever occurring.