The Human Rights Campaign recognizes and supports the critical work performed by the many faith-based and community-based organizations in our nation. As practicing people of faith, many in the LGBT community, like many Americans, recognize the important role that faith plays in their lives.

The Senate may soon consider legislation, know as the CARE Act (S. 1924), to implement President George W. Bush's initiative to fund faith-based programs and support services with federal tax dollars.

We support an amendment to S. 1924 which would ensure that organizations receiving these tax dollars would not be allowed to discriminate based on religion, which unfortunately is sometimes used as a backdoor means to discriminate against GLBT Americans.

Click here to send a free fax to your senators urging them to support an amendment that prohibits publicly funded discrimination and to oppose the final bill if this amendment does not pass. With no current federal law protecting against discrimination based on sexual orientation, we must oppose legislation that could lead to such discrimination, no matter what form it takes. Please contact your U.S. Senators today.

Just over a year ago, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7, which is the House version of the President's faith-based initiative. The legislation, which HRC opposed, will permit publicly funded discrimination and permit religious organizations to ignore state and local civil rights laws barring discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

We are now re-visiting this battle in the Senate with S. 1924. We are concerned that the CARE Act would permit federally funded discrimination based on religion. Since we have witnessed religion used as a backdoor to discriminate based on sexual orientation, we must oppose any legislation that would allow public money to be used to discriminate against any American.

Please take action now on this important issue!

Human Rights Campaign Action Center: http://hrc.grassroots.com/

Tampa Bay Coalition Cyber Activist Action Center: www.tampabaycoalition.com/tbcaa.html