Religious leaders say no to religious exemptions

Last week, Equally Blessed and other LGBT groups applauded President Obama for his executive order protecting workers at federally contracted employers from discrimination and reiterated our commitment to the rights of all workers. This week, Call To Action joined over 100 other faith leaders calling on the president to make sure that these protections do not exempt employees of religiously affiliated organizations."As Catholics, we know firsthand how vulnerable LGBT people can be to employment discrimination. On a near weekly basis, a Catholic teacher, parish employee or hospital worker is fired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity," wrote Equally Blessed in a statement released June 27. "A broad religious exemption would affect not only ministers but thousands of educators, health care providers and nonprofit administrators employed by the Catholic Church."

Just days later, we heard that Catholic Charities and other religiously affiliated service providers were asking President Obama for just such an exemption. The president's order applies only to federally contracted organizations, so this request by the providers acknowledges that they are receiving huge amounts of government money, yet want legal protection of their right to discriminate. Call To Action and faith leaders across the country quickly spoke up in disagreement."No person should have to face discrimination while accessing federally-supported social services,” said Rev. Harry Knox, who signed the letter to the president. “If a provider is allowed to use unfair and unequal practices in their hiring, it’s more than reasonable to suspect that they will discriminate against their clients. The best way to ensure that the people seeking services receive equal treatment is to ensure that federal contractors don’t discriminate, period.”

The letter to the President outlines a faith based commitment to equality and to working together to build a better nation.  "As faith and civic leaders dedicated to affirming the sacred dignity and equal worth of every person, we are grateful for your upcoming executive order ending discrimination against LGBT people in hiring by federal contractors," begins the letter. "We urge you not to include a religious exemption in the executive order. In keeping with the principle that our government must adhere to the highest standards of ethics and fairness in its own operations, we believe that public dollars should not be used to sanction discrimination."