In 2018, we asked the LGBTQ community for stories of everyday life in the face of discrimination, focusing on states where religious exemption bills have been introduced.
We shot ten stories on location in eight states.
The stories we collected emphasize our shared values and illustrate the harm caused when claims of “protecting religious liberty” are used to create a broad license to discriminate against LGBTQ families.
In states that are less welcoming to LGBTQ families, discrimination motivated by religious belief often remains implicit, or is experienced as part of simply existing in a community where religious beliefs negatively affect how people treat and behave towards LGBTQ individuals and families.
The process of family building is particularly challenging for LGBTQ people. We heard from prospective parents who faced discrimination as they interacted with systems and professionals that are rarely well-prepared to work with LGBTQ people, including healthcare providers, child placing agencies, and local government officials.