Signals mixed on LGBTQ rights, faith exemptions
Conservative Christians and gay activists are watching Trump pronouncements
Mixed signals from the White House on gay rights and religious exemptions have put two constituencies on edge: LGBT advocates already wary of President Donald Trump and social conservatives determined to hold him to his campaign promises.
Recent developments have left both groups anxious and uncertain.
Last week, Trump pledged to maintain former president Barack Obama’s job protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender federal employees, and the White House touted him as a protector of the broader LGBT community.
Soon after, Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court, which cheered conservatives because of the nominee’s past support for broad religious exemptions.
Then a draft executive order on religious exemptions was leaked; among other things, it would have boosted protections for those with faith objections to gay marriage while undercutting LGBT gains made under Obama.
The order would have gone a long way to satisfying Trump’s campaign promise to religious conservatives that “I will defend your religious liberties.” But as of Wednesday the draft order hadn’t been signed, reportedly because of objections from Trump’s daughter Ivanka and others in his inner circle.
Had the executive order been signed, LGBT-rights leaders were poised to respond with a wave of protests and lawsuits depicting the order as authorizing taxpayerfunded discrimination.
Even though Trump has backed off for the time being, they remain wary.
“It’s really not a question of if this administration will attack LGBT people — it’s a question of when and how,” said Rachel Tiven, CEO of Lambda Legal.
Meanwhile, conservative religious leaders have been carefully turning up pressure on the president, who won 81 per cent of the white evangelical vote, along with a majority of Roman Catholics.
The Family Research Council, the Southern Baptist’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and others have urged Trump to take action.
Greg Baylor, senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal group that specializes in religious liberty cases, said he hoped Trump would “make a global statement about how the new federal government is going to respect religious liberty.” Baylor said the draft executive order that remains in limbo would have been “a constructive step” toward that goal.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has launched an online lobby campaign urging Catholics to make a similar point in emails to the White House.
“We pray that the new administration follows through on its promises regarding conscience rights and allows the Catholic community and other people of faith the freedom to serve others in accordance with our beliefs,” said Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, who leads the bishops’ efforts to secure conscience rights.
At the National Prayer Breakfast last week in Washington, expectations ran high that Trump would announce his support for the draft executive order.
In his speech, Trump said “freedom of religion is a sacred right” and pledged to abolish Internal Revenue Service restrictions on electioneering by churches and other non-profit. But he said nothing about the leaked order.
Jerry Johnson, chief executive of the National Religious Broadcasters, said he understood that Trump’s circle of advisers included supporters of same-sex marriage. Nonetheless, he expects Trump to follow through on his vow to enhance religious exemptions. According to Johnson, a Cabinet member signalled that “something is going to happen in the next 30 days.
LGBT activists have taken note of such remarks.
“Our opponents have made clear that they expect the administration to act — somebody is sending that signal to them,” said Olivia Dalton, a vice-president of the Human Rights Campaign.
During the election campaign, Trump’s remarks about LGBT rights were inconsistent. However, LGBT activists say they’re worried by the more steadfast opposition to gay-rights advances on the part of Vice-President Mike Pence and several of Trump’s key Cabinet nominees — including Jeff Sessions, his pick for attorney general.
“Donald Trump talks a big game on his support for LGBTQ people, yet he has filled his Cabinet with people who have literally spent their careers working to demonize us and limit our rights,” said Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign.