The consequences of federal and state religious refusal bills have undermined our core civil rights protections and jeopardized the health and safety of vulnerable people. Business leaders and many faith leaders have opposed efforts to enact these types of bills across the country knowing the harm they can cause. More than 300 major U.S. corporations have spoken out to oppose anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being proposed in states across the country. Major employers in tech, manufacturing, hospitality, health care, retail, and other sectors are joining with a unified voice to say that discrimination is bad for business and to call on lawmakers to abandon these efforts. Over 100 large employers have also signed onto the Count Us In pledge, which includes a commitment to ensure access to health care for their transgender and nonbinary employees.

Religious refusal bills also lead to costly litigation for state and local governments. Allowing people to pick and choose which laws to follow predictably causes harmful confusion. State and local governments have been tied up in court for years defending constitutional laws and policies to which some individuals and businesses object. In 2015, Indiana’s disastrous attempt to pass a similar bill resulted in the loss of 12 conventions and had a negative economic impact of up to $60 million.