This publication will examine the common elements of the state and federal religious exemption laws, review the national landscape of religious exemption legislation and litigation, demonstrate how religious exemption laws have had serious unintended consequences, and examine the impact of broad religious exemption laws on the LGBT community.

This report is part of an ongoing series that will provide in-depth analyses of laws and policies tracked at the Movement Advancement Project’s “Equality Maps,” found at http://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps. The information in this report is current as of the date of publication, but the online maps are updated daily.