Obama executive order protecting LGBT people has big loophole

President Barack Obama on Monday gave employment protection to gay and transgender employees in the federal government and its contracting agencies, citing the "irrefutable rightness" of LGBT workplace equality.

"America's federal contracts should not subsidize discrimination against the American people," Obama said at a signing ceremony from the White House East Room. He said it is unacceptable that you could be fired for being gay in most places in the United States.

It comes as the fight over a wider ban on anti-gay discrimination in the private sector becomes embroiled in a dispute over whether religious groups should get an exemption.

Until last month, Obama long resisted pressure to pursue an executive anti-discrimination order covering federal contractors in the hope that Congress would take more sweeping action banning anti-LGBT workplace discrimination across America. A bill to accomplish that goal — the Employment Non-Discrimination Act — passed the Senate last year with some Republican support but has not been taken up by the GOP-controlled House.

Some prominent gay-rights and civil-rights organizations that had been longtime supporters of that bill announced earlier this month that they were withdrawing their support because of a broad religious exemption included to attract Republican votes.

Since Obama announced that he would take executive action, he has faced pressure from opposing flanks over whether he would include an exemption for religious organizations. He decided to maintain a provision that allows religious groups with federal contracts to hire and fire based on religious identity but not give them any exception to consider sexual orientation or gender identity. Churches also are able to hire ministers as they see fit.

Original Quill wrote:Hobby lobby has brought two clauses of the Constitution into closer conflict.  Is there a religious right (1st Amendment) to violate equal protection rights (14th Amendment).

What a web this Supreme Court weaves,
When it first, starts to deceive.

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Original Quill wrote:Hobby lobby has brought two clauses of the Constitution into closer conflict.  Is there a religious right (1st Amendment) to violate equal protection rights (14th Amendment).

What a web this Supreme Court weaves,
When it first, starts to deceive.

I honestly hope people start to really apply the Hobby Lobby case. I hope my mechanic refuses to hire non-Muslims on the basis of his deeply-held religious convictions (he does not), that the black-owned businesses down the road come up with some lame-ass excuse to refuse to serve white people (like this), that atheist business owners claim Pastafarian rights not to do business with anyone who's not a pirate or a hooker, etc.

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Original Quill wrote:Hobby lobby has brought two clauses of the Constitution into closer conflict.  Is there a religious right (1st Amendment) to violate equal protection rights (14th Amendment).

What a web this Supreme Court weaves,
When it first, starts to deceive.

I honestly hope people start to really apply the Hobby Lobby case. I hope my mechanic refuses to hire non-Muslims on the basis of his deeply-held religious convictions (he does not), that the black-owned businesses down the road come up with some lame-ass excuse to refuse to serve white people (like this), that atheist business owners claim Pastafarian rights not to do business with anyone who's not a pirate or a hooker, etc.

Original Quill wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

I honestly hope people start to really apply the Hobby Lobby case. I hope my mechanic refuses to hire non-Muslims on the basis of his deeply-held religious convictions (he does not), that the black-owned businesses down the road come up with some lame-ass excuse to refuse to serve white people (like this), that atheist business owners claim Pastafarian rights not to do business with anyone who's not a pirate or a hooker, etc.

I can promise you that liberals are looking at Hobby Lobby to see what they can use over on the positive side of the ledger, once the Democrats retake the Court.  If you turn religion into a foil, look out for activism.

jaded fox wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

I honestly hope people start to really apply the Hobby Lobby case. I hope my mechanic refuses to hire non-Muslims on the basis of his deeply-held religious convictions (he does not), that the black-owned businesses down the road come up with some lame-ass excuse to refuse to serve white people (like this), that atheist business owners claim Pastafarian rights not to do business with anyone who's not a pirate or a hooker, etc.

I intend to create a church of Science and proclaim that anyone believing in flat earth, anal sex = AIDS, or that humans are actually golems are not welcome.

Korben_Dallas wrote:Without doubt the American system of government has got to be one of the worst democracy`s in the world  a broken legal system,a dysfunctional government that can be squarely landed at the doors of the republicans
where the "mighty" dollar is king and dam the rest

Korben_Dallas wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

I can promise you that liberals are looking at Hobby Lobby to see what they can use over on the positive side of the ledger, once the Democrats retake the Court.  If you turn religion into a foil, look out for activism.

separation of church and state i understand  Is enshrined in the constitution
Pitty the only the first two clauses of that document are the ones that seem to matter

US Constitution wrote:Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof