While the Human Rights Campaign ("HRC") and Equality Virginia ("EV") have foolishly injected themselves into the current chaos of Virginia politics, Donald Trump reminded everyone not overcome with political correctness of where these organizations ought to be focusing their efforts. Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday morning, Trump openly
endorsed anti-LGBT discrimination by foster and adoption agencies receiving tax payer funds. This sort of bigotry ought to be a reminder that 29 states still have no employment non-discrimination protections despite many years of HRC and EV shaking down supporters for money both organizations have failed to deliver on these basic legal protections. Now, in Virginia they have attacked one of their strongest allies. In my view, major changes in their leadership is needed. But back to Trump and his lauding of bigotry. Here are highlights from Think Progress:
Donald Trump openly endorsed discrimination by foster and adoption agencies, speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday morning.
After welcoming Chad and Melissa Buck, a couple from Michigan who he applauded for having adopted five children, he said, “Unfortunately, the Michigan adoption charity that brought the Buck family together is now defending itself in court for living by the values of its Catholic faith.”
“We will always protect our country’s long and proud tradition of faith-based adoption,” he added. “My administration is working to insure that faith-based adoption agencies are able to help vulnerable children find their forever families while following their deeply held beliefs.”
The case Trump referred to is a lawsuit the ACLU brought on behalf of two same-sex couples challenging Michigan’s law granting adoption agencies a license to discriminate, even if they receive state funding.
One of the couples behind the suit, Kristy and Dana Dumont, sought adoption services from St. Vincent Catholic Charities in July 2016 and again in March 2017. The agency told them it did not work with same-sex couples.
During a February 2015 Michigan House hearing on legislation that would protect adoption agencies from being punished for discriminating, St. Vincent’s director of clinical services defended the bill, testifying that the agency would be affected otherwise, as it employed such discriminatory practices. “If they let us know that they’re unmarried, or they’re gay or lesbian, we immediately recommend, make a referral to another agency,” they said.
But the ACLU didn’t sue St. Vincent or any other particular agency that was taking advantage of the law. It sued state officials directly, seeking to overturn the law altogether. The agency, along with the Bucks, chose to intervene in the case to help defend the discriminatory law for which it had previously advocated. If the same-sex couples’ case succeeded, the agency claimed, it would be forced to shut down.
Trump’s assurances at Thursday’s prayer breakfast come weeks after his administration granted a waiver to a South Carolina foster care agency, granting them license to ignore an Obama administration rule prohibiting discrimination. Miracle Hill, an evangelical protestant agency, not only refuses to serve same-sex families but had also refused to place children with a Jewish family.
Anti-LGBTQ groups have prioritized passing more of these laws allowing child placement agencies to discriminate across the country while still receiving public funding in recent years. An effort to chip away at marriage equality, these campaigns demonize same-sex parents, provide special privileges to Christian agencies, and normalize subsidizing discrimination with taxpayer money.
3 comments:
Cheeto and the Devil's Butler are pandering to the right. This administration has granted incredible power to the wingnuts and they have invaded places in the government they never dreamed they'd be. Their goal is to destroy eight years of progress.
and after they have destroyed eight years of progress, their goal is to replace the Constitution with the Bible.
Anti-American emissaries of the Anti-Christ, thoroughly committed to the implementation of a U.S. version of the Nuremburg Laws.
Not mentioned by Degenerate Don was that a couple of days ago the Secretary of Health and Human Services also gave the OK for a South Carolina adoption agency supported by the taxpayer yesterday to deprive a Jewish family of the right to adopt a child in need specifically because they were Jewish and that the Republiscum injustices of the Supreme Court rushed to give the OK for Louisiana to deprive a Death Row inmate of the right to have an imam present at his execution. Today the illegitimate ersatz Acting Attorney General stated that the Department of Justice would support HHS in defending taxpayer-funded religious discrimination.
Bernie-bots and Log Cabin Republicans should feel really proud of themselves for what they have helped to bring about.
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