Written by Don Byrd
Earlier this week, the Baptist Joint Committee and more than 90 other civil and religious liberty advocates sent a letter to President Obama regarding his impending executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation. The message of the letter was simple: religious organizations that act as federal contractors should be held to the same rules as all other federal contractors, including nondiscrimination laws, in the use of taxpayer money.
Apparently, the President agrees. He is reportedly issuing that order on Monday without creating a new religious exemption.
[T]here is no sweeping religious exemption in the executive order. Obama is simply adding the categories of sexual orientation and gender identity to an existing executive order that protects employees of federal contractors from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
Where the President apparently disagrees with the BJC and other advocates is their urging that he also rescind a policy that allows religious organizations to discriminate on the basis of religion in hiring with federal funds.
President George W. Bush amended that executive order in 2002 to allow religiously affiliated federal contractors to prioritize hiring employees of their particular religion, however, and Obama is keeping that language intact.
You can read the letter here.
(note: the order amended by President Bush in 2002 is Executive Order 11246)
