Social Conservatives Disappointed Trump Renewed Obama's LGBT Executive Order
Social conservatives expressed disappointment with President Donald Trump over his decision to renew President Barack Obama's executive order mandating that groups contracting with the federal government have LGBT anti-discrimination policies.
The executive order was criticized for purportedly curbing religious liberty by barring groups and entities who hold moral objections to homosexuality and transgenderism.
The Liberty Counsel released a statement Tuesday denouncing President Trump's decision to renew the executive order that "imposes the LGBTQ agenda in the employment context for federal contractors."
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"President Trump should not continue to impose Obama's bad executive order that goes far beyond federal law. The fluid and subjective term 'gender identity' does not prevent discrimination in the work place but rather injects in the workplace an agenda that is harmful to businesses and to other employees," stated Liberty Counsel President Mat Staver.
"Such a policy opens women's restrooms to men. To force businesses to be at the mercy of a person's subjective and changing thoughts or be forced to allow those with ill intent to cause harm is absurd."
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins had a slightly different response. In a statement released Tuesday, he disagreed with Trump but remained optimistic that an executive order protecting religious liberty will be coming soon.
"During the general election I stated there would be areas of disagreement with Mr. Trump. But one of the strongest areas of agreement was and remains religious liberty," stated Perkins.
"I am prayerfully confident that the president and his team will issue an executive order ensuring charitable and religious organizations are not prohibited, because of their biblical views of marriage and human sexuality, from receiving contracts or grants from the federal government in order to provide critical services to people in need, like refugees and the homeless."
In July of 2014, then President Barack Obama issued Executive Order 13672, which prohibited federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Earlier this week, the White House announced that they were planning to continue the enforcement of EO 13672.
In a statement given to media, the current administration said that "President Donald J. Trump is determined to protect the rights of all Americans, including the LGBTQ community."
"The executive order signed in 2014, which protects employees from anti-LGBTQ workplace discrimination while working for federal contractors, will remain intact," continued the statement, as reported by CNN.
