Print Donald Tmp mpaigned on beg a “real iend” to the gay muny, but several LGBT rights anizatns said the relig liberty executive orr he signed Thursday uld open the doors for more discrimatn agast gay Amerins.
Contents:
- EXECUTIVE ORR ON ADVANCG EQUALY FOR LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, AND INTERSEX INDIVIDUALS
- MEMORANDUM ON ADVANCG THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, AND INTERSEX PERSONS AROUND THE WORLD
- A PROCLAMATN ON LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, AND QUEER PRI MONTH, 2021
- ADVANCG EQUALY FOR LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, AND INTERSEX INDIVIDUALS
- LGBT ALARM AS PRINT TMP SIGNS ‘RELIG LIBERTY’ EXECUTIVE ORRDISCRIMATNLGBT ADVOT SAY THE LATT EXECUTIVE ORR—BACKG ‘FAH IATIV’ FERAL AGENCI—IS YET ANOTHER ACTN THAT ULD ENURAGE DISCRIMATN AGAST LGBT PEOPLE.SAMANTHA ALLENUPDATED MAY 04, 2018 12:32AM EDT / PUBLISHED MAY 03, 2018 3:00PM EDT CHIP SOMOVILLA/GETTYIN A THURSDAY MORNG ROSE GARN CEREMONY MARKG THE NATNAL DAY OF PRAYER, PRINT TMP SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORR CREATG A NEW “FAH IATIVE” THAT WILL BE TASKED WH WORKG ON “RELIG LIBERTY” ISSU ACROSS FERAL AGENCI.“AS PRINT, I WILL ALWAYS PROTECT RELIG LIBERTY,” TMP SAID HIS REMARKS.THE ORR—FIRST REPORTED WEDNDAY NIGHT BY RELIGN NEWS SERVICE—WILL “HELP ENSURE THAT FAH-BASED ANIZATNS HAVE EQUAL ACCS TO ERNMENT FUNDG AND EQUAL RIGHT TO EXERCISE THEIR EPLY HELD BELIEFS,” TMP SAID.BUT IF THOSE LAST THREE WORDS—“EPLY HELD BELIEFS”—SOUND FAIAR, ’S BEE THEY ARE OFTEN ED TO JTIFY ANTI-LGBT LEGISLATN THE NAME OF “RELIG EEDOM.” INED, LGBT ADVOT SAY THAT THE EXECUTIVE ORR IS YET ANOTHER FERAL ACTN THAT ULD POTENTIALLY ENURAGE DISCRIMATN AGAST LGBT PEOPLE THE NAME OF RELIGN. “WE’RE VERY NCERNED BEE THIS ADMISTRATN HAS A PATTERN OF VG DISCRIMATN THE NAME OF RELIGN,” CALA TAYLOR, DIRECTOR OF CONSTUTNAL LIGATN FOR THE LGBT LEGAL ADVOCY GROUP LAMBDA LEGAL, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST SHORTLY BEFORE THE ROSE GARN EVENT.BASED ON S REPORTED SCRIPTN, TAYLOR SAID THAT THE NEW “FAH IATIVE” SEEMS TO BE “ACTIVELY SEEKG OUT OPPORTUNI TO FACILATE DISCRIMATN.” (AS TAILS OF THE ORR WERE OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED MUT LATER, LAMBDA LEGAL TWEETED, “YIK, Y’ALL.”) RACHEL LASER, PRINT OF THE WATCHDOG GROUP AMERINS UNED FOR SEPARATN OF CHURCH AND STATE, SAID A PRS RELEASE THAT THE ORR WAS “ONE MORE ATTEMPT BY TMP, CHEERED BY HIS EVANGELIL ADVISORY BOARD, TO REFE RELIG EEDOM TO MEAN THE EEDOM TO DISCRIMATE AGAST THOSE WHO DO NOT SHARE YOUR RELIG BELIEFS.”THE WHE HOE DID NOT IMMEDIATELY RPOND TO A REQUT FOR MENT ABOUT LGBT GROUPS’ NCERNS WH THE NEW “FAH IATIVE.”THE TEXT OF THE ORR, RELEASED SHORTLY AFTER THE ROSE GARN CEREMONY, NOT THAT THE IATIVE WILL BE LED BY AN AS-YET-TO-BE-APPOTED ADVISER HOED WH THE WHE HOE’S OFFICE OF PUBLIC LIAISON. THE IATIVE—OFFICIALLY LLED “WHE HOE FAH AND OPPORTUNY INIATIVE”—WILL “NSULT WH” RELIG LEARS WHO N PROVI “EXPERTISE” ON ISSU CLUDG “POVERTY ALLEVIATN,” “RELIG LIBERTY,” AND “STRENGTHENG MARRIAGE AND FAY”—AND THEN MAKE “REMENDATNS TO THE PRINT.” THE IATIVE WILL ALSO BE REQUIRED TO RM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE “OF NCERNS RAISED BY FAH-BASED AND MUNY ANIZATNS” ABOUT PERCEIVED VLATNS OF “RELIG LIBERTY” PROTECTNS. IT WILL ALSO REQUIRE ANY EXECUTIVE AGENCI THAT DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE A FAH-BASED IATIVE TO TABLISH A “POT OF NTACT” WHO N “ORDATE WH THE [IATIVE’S] ADVISOR RRYG OUT THIS ORR.”MUCH OF THE IATIVE’S WORK, THEN, WOULD SEEM TO PEND ON WHO THE IATIVE’S ADVISER WILL BE, AND WHAT KD OF ANIZATNS ARE NSULTED FOR REMENDATNS. (THE TEXT OF THE ORR PROMIS TO INTIFY POTENTIAL LEARS TO NSULT “BASED ON THEIR EXPERTISE” BUT LGBT ADVOT HAVE LONG OBSERVED THE TMP ADMISTRATN’S PARTICULAR ZS WH ANTI-LGBT EVANGELIL LEARS, SOME OF WHOM WERE ATTENDANCE AT THE SIGNG.)“FREEDOM OF RELIGN IS A RE AMERIN VALUE, AND STARTG A WHE HOE FAH AND OPPORTUNY INIATIVE WOULD NOT BE ALARMG, EXCEPT FOR THE ANTI-LGBTQ EXTREMISTS AND ANIZATNS WHO HAVE THE PRINT’S LOYALTY AND HIS EAR,” SAID ZEKE STOK, VICE PRINT OF PROGRAMS AT THE LGBT ADVOCY GROUP GLAAD, A STATEMENT. “GLAAD WILL BE MONORG CLOSELY TO SEE WHO IS TAPPED TO LEAD THIS IATIVE, AND YOU N BET WE WILL HOLD THAT PERSON ACUNTABLE AND THIS IATIVE ACUNTABLE JT AS WE HAVE THIS ENTIRE ADMISTRATN SCE S BEGNG.”THE AMERIN CIVIL LIBERTI UNN WILL ALSO BE “WATCHG THIS IATIVE CLOSELY,” SAID DANIEL MACH, DIRECTOR OF THE ACLU’S PROGRAM ON FREEDOM OF RELIGN AND BELIEF.“FREEDOM OF RELIGN IS ONE OF OUR MOST FUNDAMENTAL AND CHERISHED RIGHTS,” MACH SAID. “BUT THAT EEDOM DO NOT GIVE ANY OF THE RIGHT TO HARM OTHER PEOPLE, TO IMPOSE OUR BELIEFS ON OTHERS, OR TO DISCRIMATE.”THURSDAY’S EXECUTIVE ORR JT SHY OF ONE YEAR AFTER PRINT TMP SIGNED AN “EXECUTIVE ORR ON PROMOTG FREE SPEECH AND RELIG LIBERTY” AT THE 2017 NATNAL DAY OF PRAYER CEREMONY—AN ORR THAT ANTI-LGBT ADVOT FEARED ADVANCE WOULD AMOUNT TO A SWEEPG “LICENSE TO DISCRIMATE.” AS THE DAILY BEAST’S JAY MICHAELSON REPORTED, THE FAL VERSN OF THAT EXECUTIVE ORR PRIMARILY WORKED TO BOOST THE POLIL POWER OF RELIG NONPROF ANIZATNS BY ORRG AN END TO ENFORCEMENT OF THE JOHNSON AMENDMENT, WHICH BARS 501(C)(3) ANIZATNS OM MPAIGNG FOR POLIL NDIDAT. (SUBSEQUENT EFFORTS TO FORMALLY REPEAL THE JOHNSON AMENDMENT, HOWEVER, FAILED, AS NPR REPORTED MARCH.)THIS JANUARY, THE TMP ADMISTRATN TOOK MORE SUBSTANTIVE ANTI-LGBT ACTN THE NAME OF “RELIG EEDOM” WHEN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVIC ANNOUNCED A NEW “CONSCIENCE AND RELIG FREEDOM DIVISN” TO BE HOED WH THE AGENCY’S OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS. THAT DIVISN WAS TASKED WH HANDLG “RELIG EEDOM PLATS” OM HEALTH RE PROVIRS, AS THE DAILY BEAST PREVLY REPORTED.ALTHOUGH DID NOT CREATE MAJOR NEW POLICY—AS HHS NOTED A PRS RELEASE, “OCR ALREADY HAS ENFORCEMENT THORY OVER FERAL NSCIENCE PROTECTN STATUT”—LGBT ADVOT WERE STILL TROUBLED BY THE SHIFT PRRI SIGNALED BY THE NEW DIVISN.AT THE TIME, LAMBDA LEGAL CEO RACHEL B. TIVEN EMED THE DIVISN “ORWELLIAN” AND HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN LEGAL DIRECTOR SARAH WARBELOW LLED “UNNECSARY,” SAYG THAT EFFECTIVELY “ENURAG DISCRIMATN AGAST LGBTQ PEOPLE.”MUCH LIKE THE HHS CONSCIENCE AND RELIG FREEDOM DIVISN, THE NEW WHE HOE FAH AND OPPORTUNY INIATIVE DO NOT AMOUNT TO MAJOR NEW POLICY—ALTHOUGH TMP PROMISED HIS REMARKS THURSDAY MORNG THAT WILL “HELP SIGN NEW POLICI THAT REGNIZE THE VAL ROLE OF FAH OUR FAI, OUR MUNI, AND OUR GREAT UNTRY.”AND AS RELIGN NEWS SERVICE NOTED, PREV ADMISTRATNS—CLUDG THE OBAMA AND GEE W. BH ADMISTRATNS—HAVE TABLISHED FAH-BASED OFFIC WH FERAL AGENCI. THE KEY DIFFERENCE WH THIS NEW FAH IATIVE, RNS REPORTED, IS THE FACT THAT WILL ORDATE ACROSS ALL EXECUTIVE AGENCI, EVEN THOSE THAT DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE FAH-BASED IATIV.ALTHOUGH THE WHE HOE FAH AND OPPORTUNY INIATIVE IS NOT THE SWEEPG “RELIG EEDOM” EXECUTIVE ORR LGBT ADVOT WERE FEARG AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR, LGBT ADVOT STILL SEE AS ANOTHER POSSIBLE STEP TOWARD ENABLG DISCRIMATN.“THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF THREATS THAT WE’RE FACG THAT ARE TRYG TO FACILATE DISCRIMATN JTIFIED BY RELIGN,” TAYLOR TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “AND THIS IS JT THE LATT.” SAMANTHA ALLEN
EXECUTIVE ORR ON ADVANCG EQUALY FOR LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, AND INTERSEX INDIVIDUALS
Wh ls than two weeks left office, the admistratn of US Print Donald Tmp has falized yet another le rollg back nondiscrimatn protectns for lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) people seekg the servic of health and welfare programs fund by the US Department of Health and Human Servic. * lgbt executive orders trump *
When Printial ndidate Donald Tmp chose relig extremist and avowed homophobe Mike Pence as his nng mate stead of morate former New Jersey Gov. Supreme Court led agast gay platiffs and the Colorado Civil Rights Commissn the se of Masterpiece Cakhop, which refed to make a ke for a gay uple’s weddg.
March 2019: Tmp refed to sign onto a statement by Uned Natns member natns llg for “a swift, thorough and impartial vtigatn to the alleged persecutn” of gays and lbians the Rsian republic of Chechnya. Our Natn has ma great stris fulfillg the fundamental promis of eedom and equaly for lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, and tersex (LGBTQI+) Amerins, owg to the learship of generatns of LGBTQI+ dividuals. This memorandum reaffirms and supplements the prcipl tablished the Printial Memorandum of December 6, 2011 (Internatnal Iniativ to Advance the Human Rights of Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr Persons).
MEMORANDUM ON ADVANCG THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, AND INTERSEX PERSONS AROUND THE WORLD
That memorandum, for the first time, directed executive partments and agenci (agenci) engaged abroad to ensure that Uned Stat diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr persons everywhere.
Around the globe, cludg here at home, brave lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, and tersex (LGBTQI+) activists are fightg for equal protectn unr the law, eedom om vlence, and regnn of their fundamental human rights. Agenci engaged abroad are directed to strengthen existg efforts to bat the crimalizatn by foreign ernments of LGBTQI+ stat or nduct and expand efforts to bat discrimatn, homophobia, transphobia, and tolerance on the basis of LGBTQI+ stat or nduct. Pri is a time to rell the trials the Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, and Queer (LGBTQ+) muny has endured and to rejoice the triumphs of trailblazg dividuals who have bravely fought — and ntue to fight — for full equaly.
BIDEN JR., Print of the Uned Stat of Ameri, by virtue of the thory vted me by the Constutn and the laws of the Uned Stat, do hereby proclaim June 2021 as Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, and Queer Pri Month. Advancg Equaly for Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, Queer, and Intersex Individuals.
A PROCLAMATN ON LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, AND QUEER PRI MONTH, 2021
Our Natn has ma great stris fulfillg the fundamental promis of eedom and equaly for lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, and tersex (LGBTQI+) Amerins, owg to the learship of generatns of LGBTQI+ dividuals.
Wh ls than two weeks left office, the admistratn of US Print Donald Tmp has falized yet another le rollg back nondiscrimatn protectns for lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) people seekg the servic of health and welfare programs fund by the US Department of Health and Human Servic. In a reversal om the Obama admistratn, the Tmp admistratn has repeatedly taken the posn that laws and regulatns that prohib discrimatn on the basis of sex do not ver a person discrimated agast for beg gay or transgenr. We found dozens of chang that reprent a profound rhapg of the way the feral ernment treats the more than 11 ln lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr Amerins.
In a Supreme Court se over whether a Colorado baker had the right to refe service to a gay uple on relig and eedom of speech grounds, the DOJ submted an amic brief support of the baker’s right to refe service. The New York Tim’ Jeremy Peters fell over himself to praise the statement for g “stronger language than any Republin print has before favor of equal legal protectns for gay lbian, bisexual, and transgenr people. Print Donald Tmp mpaigned on beg a “real iend” to the gay muny, but several LGBT rights anizatns said the relig liberty executive orr he signed Thursday uld open the doors for more discrimatn agast gay Amerins.
ADVANCG EQUALY FOR LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, AND INTERSEX INDIVIDUALS
But the head of the Congrsnal LGBT Equaly Cc, a group nsistg of gay lawmakers and their alli, worri that the admistratn will e the orr to harm gay Amerins. The learship of PFLAG Natnal, an LGBT anizatn for fai, said the liv of gay Amerins uld be ntrolled by other people’s iologi unr Tmp’s new orr. But the head of Log Cab Republins, a group that reprents gay nservativ, said the ia that the executive orr harms gay Amerins is “total nonsense.
LGBT ALARM AS PRINT TMP SIGNS ‘RELIG LIBERTY’ EXECUTIVE ORRDISCRIMATNLGBT ADVOT SAY THE LATT EXECUTIVE ORR—BACKG ‘FAH IATIV’ FERAL AGENCI—IS YET ANOTHER ACTN THAT ULD ENURAGE DISCRIMATN AGAST LGBT PEOPLE.SAMANTHA ALLENUPDATED MAY 04, 2018 12:32AM EDT / PUBLISHED MAY 03, 2018 3:00PM EDT CHIP SOMOVILLA/GETTYIN A THURSDAY MORNG ROSE GARN CEREMONY MARKG THE NATNAL DAY OF PRAYER, PRINT TMP SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORR CREATG A NEW “FAH IATIVE” THAT WILL BE TASKED WH WORKG ON “RELIG LIBERTY” ISSU ACROSS FERAL AGENCI.“AS PRINT, I WILL ALWAYS PROTECT RELIG LIBERTY,” TMP SAID HIS REMARKS.THE ORR—FIRST REPORTED WEDNDAY NIGHT BY RELIGN NEWS SERVICE—WILL “HELP ENSURE THAT FAH-BASED ANIZATNS HAVE EQUAL ACCS TO ERNMENT FUNDG AND EQUAL RIGHT TO EXERCISE THEIR EPLY HELD BELIEFS,” TMP SAID.BUT IF THOSE LAST THREE WORDS—“EPLY HELD BELIEFS”—SOUND FAIAR, ’S BEE THEY ARE OFTEN ED TO JTIFY ANTI-LGBT LEGISLATN THE NAME OF “RELIG EEDOM.” INED, LGBT ADVOT SAY THAT THE EXECUTIVE ORR IS YET ANOTHER FERAL ACTN THAT ULD POTENTIALLY ENURAGE DISCRIMATN AGAST LGBT PEOPLE THE NAME OF RELIGN. “WE’RE VERY NCERNED BEE THIS ADMISTRATN HAS A PATTERN OF VG DISCRIMATN THE NAME OF RELIGN,” CALA TAYLOR, DIRECTOR OF CONSTUTNAL LIGATN FOR THE LGBT LEGAL ADVOCY GROUP LAMBDA LEGAL, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST SHORTLY BEFORE THE ROSE GARN EVENT.BASED ON S REPORTED SCRIPTN, TAYLOR SAID THAT THE NEW “FAH IATIVE” SEEMS TO BE “ACTIVELY SEEKG OUT OPPORTUNI TO FACILATE DISCRIMATN.” (AS TAILS OF THE ORR WERE OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED MUT LATER, LAMBDA LEGAL TWEETED, “YIK, Y’ALL.”) RACHEL LASER, PRINT OF THE WATCHDOG GROUP AMERINS UNED FOR SEPARATN OF CHURCH AND STATE, SAID A PRS RELEASE THAT THE ORR WAS “ONE MORE ATTEMPT BY TMP, CHEERED BY HIS EVANGELIL ADVISORY BOARD, TO REFE RELIG EEDOM TO MEAN THE EEDOM TO DISCRIMATE AGAST THOSE WHO DO NOT SHARE YOUR RELIG BELIEFS.”THE WHE HOE DID NOT IMMEDIATELY RPOND TO A REQUT FOR MENT ABOUT LGBT GROUPS’ NCERNS WH THE NEW “FAH IATIVE.”THE TEXT OF THE ORR, RELEASED SHORTLY AFTER THE ROSE GARN CEREMONY, NOT THAT THE IATIVE WILL BE LED BY AN AS-YET-TO-BE-APPOTED ADVISER HOED WH THE WHE HOE’S OFFICE OF PUBLIC LIAISON. THE IATIVE—OFFICIALLY LLED “WHE HOE FAH AND OPPORTUNY INIATIVE”—WILL “NSULT WH” RELIG LEARS WHO N PROVI “EXPERTISE” ON ISSU CLUDG “POVERTY ALLEVIATN,” “RELIG LIBERTY,” AND “STRENGTHENG MARRIAGE AND FAY”—AND THEN MAKE “REMENDATNS TO THE PRINT.” THE IATIVE WILL ALSO BE REQUIRED TO RM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE “OF NCERNS RAISED BY FAH-BASED AND MUNY ANIZATNS” ABOUT PERCEIVED VLATNS OF “RELIG LIBERTY” PROTECTNS. IT WILL ALSO REQUIRE ANY EXECUTIVE AGENCI THAT DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE A FAH-BASED IATIVE TO TABLISH A “POT OF NTACT” WHO N “ORDATE WH THE [IATIVE’S] ADVISOR RRYG OUT THIS ORR.”MUCH OF THE IATIVE’S WORK, THEN, WOULD SEEM TO PEND ON WHO THE IATIVE’S ADVISER WILL BE, AND WHAT KD OF ANIZATNS ARE NSULTED FOR REMENDATNS. (THE TEXT OF THE ORR PROMIS TO INTIFY POTENTIAL LEARS TO NSULT “BASED ON THEIR EXPERTISE” BUT LGBT ADVOT HAVE LONG OBSERVED THE TMP ADMISTRATN’S PARTICULAR ZS WH ANTI-LGBT EVANGELIL LEARS, SOME OF WHOM WERE ATTENDANCE AT THE SIGNG.)“FREEDOM OF RELIGN IS A RE AMERIN VALUE, AND STARTG A WHE HOE FAH AND OPPORTUNY INIATIVE WOULD NOT BE ALARMG, EXCEPT FOR THE ANTI-LGBTQ EXTREMISTS AND ANIZATNS WHO HAVE THE PRINT’S LOYALTY AND HIS EAR,” SAID ZEKE STOK, VICE PRINT OF PROGRAMS AT THE LGBT ADVOCY GROUP GLAAD, A STATEMENT. “GLAAD WILL BE MONORG CLOSELY TO SEE WHO IS TAPPED TO LEAD THIS IATIVE, AND YOU N BET WE WILL HOLD THAT PERSON ACUNTABLE AND THIS IATIVE ACUNTABLE JT AS WE HAVE THIS ENTIRE ADMISTRATN SCE S BEGNG.”THE AMERIN CIVIL LIBERTI UNN WILL ALSO BE “WATCHG THIS IATIVE CLOSELY,” SAID DANIEL MACH, DIRECTOR OF THE ACLU’S PROGRAM ON FREEDOM OF RELIGN AND BELIEF.“FREEDOM OF RELIGN IS ONE OF OUR MOST FUNDAMENTAL AND CHERISHED RIGHTS,” MACH SAID. “BUT THAT EEDOM DO NOT GIVE ANY OF THE RIGHT TO HARM OTHER PEOPLE, TO IMPOSE OUR BELIEFS ON OTHERS, OR TO DISCRIMATE.”THURSDAY’S EXECUTIVE ORR JT SHY OF ONE YEAR AFTER PRINT TMP SIGNED AN “EXECUTIVE ORR ON PROMOTG FREE SPEECH AND RELIG LIBERTY” AT THE 2017 NATNAL DAY OF PRAYER CEREMONY—AN ORR THAT ANTI-LGBT ADVOT FEARED ADVANCE WOULD AMOUNT TO A SWEEPG “LICENSE TO DISCRIMATE.” AS THE DAILY BEAST’S JAY MICHAELSON REPORTED, THE FAL VERSN OF THAT EXECUTIVE ORR PRIMARILY WORKED TO BOOST THE POLIL POWER OF RELIG NONPROF ANIZATNS BY ORRG AN END TO ENFORCEMENT OF THE JOHNSON AMENDMENT, WHICH BARS 501(C)(3) ANIZATNS OM MPAIGNG FOR POLIL NDIDAT. (SUBSEQUENT EFFORTS TO FORMALLY REPEAL THE JOHNSON AMENDMENT, HOWEVER, FAILED, AS NPR REPORTED MARCH.)THIS JANUARY, THE TMP ADMISTRATN TOOK MORE SUBSTANTIVE ANTI-LGBT ACTN THE NAME OF “RELIG EEDOM” WHEN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVIC ANNOUNCED A NEW “CONSCIENCE AND RELIG FREEDOM DIVISN” TO BE HOED WH THE AGENCY’S OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS. THAT DIVISN WAS TASKED WH HANDLG “RELIG EEDOM PLATS” OM HEALTH RE PROVIRS, AS THE DAILY BEAST PREVLY REPORTED.ALTHOUGH DID NOT CREATE MAJOR NEW POLICY—AS HHS NOTED A PRS RELEASE, “OCR ALREADY HAS ENFORCEMENT THORY OVER FERAL NSCIENCE PROTECTN STATUT”—LGBT ADVOT WERE STILL TROUBLED BY THE SHIFT PRRI SIGNALED BY THE NEW DIVISN.AT THE TIME, LAMBDA LEGAL CEO RACHEL B. TIVEN EMED THE DIVISN “ORWELLIAN” AND HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN LEGAL DIRECTOR SARAH WARBELOW LLED “UNNECSARY,” SAYG THAT EFFECTIVELY “ENURAG DISCRIMATN AGAST LGBTQ PEOPLE.”MUCH LIKE THE HHS CONSCIENCE AND RELIG FREEDOM DIVISN, THE NEW WHE HOE FAH AND OPPORTUNY INIATIVE DO NOT AMOUNT TO MAJOR NEW POLICY—ALTHOUGH TMP PROMISED HIS REMARKS THURSDAY MORNG THAT WILL “HELP SIGN NEW POLICI THAT REGNIZE THE VAL ROLE OF FAH OUR FAI, OUR MUNI, AND OUR GREAT UNTRY.”AND AS RELIGN NEWS SERVICE NOTED, PREV ADMISTRATNS—CLUDG THE OBAMA AND GEE W. BH ADMISTRATNS—HAVE TABLISHED FAH-BASED OFFIC WH FERAL AGENCI. THE KEY DIFFERENCE WH THIS NEW FAH IATIVE, RNS REPORTED, IS THE FACT THAT WILL ORDATE ACROSS ALL EXECUTIVE AGENCI, EVEN THOSE THAT DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE FAH-BASED IATIV.ALTHOUGH THE WHE HOE FAH AND OPPORTUNY INIATIVE IS NOT THE SWEEPG “RELIG EEDOM” EXECUTIVE ORR LGBT ADVOT WERE FEARG AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR, LGBT ADVOT STILL SEE AS ANOTHER POSSIBLE STEP TOWARD ENABLG DISCRIMATN.“THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF THREATS THAT WE’RE FACG THAT ARE TRYG TO FACILATE DISCRIMATN JTIFIED BY RELIGN,” TAYLOR TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “AND THIS IS JT THE LATT.” SAMANTHA ALLEN
GLAAD, a proment gay-rights group, announced late Wednday that would hold a rally at the historic Stonewall Inn New York Cy on Thursday night to prott the possible plan. "While not rcdg any prev executive orrs, the proposed orr uld ee pani and dividuals that do bs wh the feral ernment to cle to work wh gay and lbian upl on adoptns and other draft orr stat that the feral ernment "shall not discrimate or take any adverse actn agast a relig anizatn" providg adoptn or child-welfare servic if the anizatn "cl to provi, facilate or refer such service due to a nflict wh the anizatn's relig beliefs.
"After beg provid a py of the draft by ABC News for review, a spokman for a proment gay-rights group said the orr uld perm feral employe and ntractors to refe a range of servic to people based on their sexual orientatn or genr Griff, the print of the Human Rights Campaign, lled the draft "sweepg and dangero. "That would apply to pani like Hobby Lobby, which brought a landmark se agast the Obama admistratn challengg the requirement that employer-provid health re clu ntraceptive orr would ensure tax-exempt stat for relig anizatns if they speak out on beliefs opposg gay marriage, extramaral sex, abortn rights and rights for transgenr would roll back aspects of the Johnson Amendment, a 1954 law prohibg tax-exempt anizatns om endorsg or opposg polil ndidat. Though marriage equaly is the law of the land, the Whe Hoe has taken steps to lim or undo gay rights several key policy areas, such as lobbyg to give relig adoptn agenci the right to refe same-sex upl.
What this means practilly is the Bin admistratn will now nsir discrimatn agast transgenr stunts to be a vlatn of Tle IX, and discrimatn agast gay or lbian people hog cisns to be agast the law. However, sex is not nsired a protected class unr feral public acmodatns law, so ’s still possible for private enti to ny a trans person accs to a bathroom matchg their genr inty or for a b driver to ny a ri to a gay uple.