The Supreme Court will hear three cases that involve gay and transgender people who were fired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Although a religious freedom question brought up in one of the cases at a lower court won’t be addressed by the Supreme Court, discrimination against LGBTQ people is often religiously motivated.

Twice this week the Trump-Pence administration signaled that it will continue to pander to a narrow group of fundamentalist Christians who want to redefine religious freedom as a sword that can be wielded against transgender people.

“This is a stunning reversal of course. It is unconscionable that the federal government, after supporting Aimee Stephens through five years of court battles, would abandon her on the Supreme Court’s doorstep," said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United.