Photo: Barack Obama. Credit: Christopher Dilts/Obama for America.
A coalition of 130 LGBT or allied organizations is urging President Obama to rescind a memo from George W. Bush’s administration that they claim has been used to justify taxpayer-funded discrimination.
In a letter addressed to Obama, the groups say the memo in question, which was issued in 2007 by the Office of Legal Counsel, “reaches the erroneous and dangerous conclusion that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) provides a blanket override of a statutory nondiscrimination provision.”
Signatories of the letter include Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Civil Liberties Union, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, the Human Rights Campaign, and a variety of religious and civil rights groups.
“RFRA was intended to provide protection for free exercise rights, applying strict scrutiny, on a case-by-case basis, to federal laws that substantially burden religious exercise,” the coalition’s letter reads. “RFRA was not intended to create blanket exemptions to laws that protect against discrimination. Yet, in contrast to this, the OLC Memo relies on flawed legal analysis and wrongly asserts that RFRA is ‘reasonably construed to require’ a federal agency to categorically exempt a religiously affiliated organization from a grant program’s explicit statutory nondiscrimination provision, thus permitting the grantee to discriminate in hiring with taxpayer funds without regard to the government’s compelling interest in prohibiting such discrimination.”
One of the ramifications of the Bush-era OLC memo is that it is being used to permit religiously-affiliated organizations that receive Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) funds to use religion as one criterion when hiring employees, despite VAWA’s clear prohibitions against such discrimination. The coalition also says the memo’s broad interpretation is being used to undercut Obama’s executive order barring contractors from discriminating LGBT workers. Lastly, the coalition argues, some grantees and contractors are trying to extend the memo’s reach beyond hiring, citing the memo to create a blanket exemption justifying their refusal to provide certain services or referrals, such as medical care for unaccompanied immigrant children who have suffered sexual abuse.
“The Bush-era policy is based on faulty legal assumptions and is being used to put the government in the business of funding discrimination,” said David Stacy, government affairs director for the Human Rights Campaign. “By rescinding this flawed memo, President Obama can make clear that taxpayer money cannot be used for unjust discrimination — period. The President has an unprecedented legacy of advancing fairness and equality for the LGBT community, and with the limited time he has remaining in office, we urge him to solidify that legacy by taking action on this critically important issue.”
The coalition concluded its letter asking Obama to carefully review and correct the interpretation of and extent to which RFRA applies.
“Contrary to the conclusion in the OLC Memo, RFRA is not a tool to categorically override statutory protections against religious hiring discrimination,” the groups write. “Nor does it create an absolute free exercise right — without regard to countervailing compelling interests, as required by RFRA — to receive government grants without complying with applicable regulations that protect taxpayers and participants in federally funded programs. We accordingly request that the OLC Memo be reviewed and its erroneous and dangerous interpretation of RFRA be reconsidered as soon as possible.”
Four people are dead and at least 13 others injured after a street racer fleeing police lost control and crashed into a popular LGBTQ nightclub in Tampa, Florida.
Surveillance video from the club shows pedestrians running for safety as a silver Toyota Camry careens through an intersection and into a crowd of more than a dozen people outside Bradley's on 7th.
The crash occurred around 12:45 a.m. on Saturday, just 15 minutes before drag performers were scheduled to take the stage, according to the New York Post.
Two 20-year-old men have been accused of plotting a deadly terrorist attack in suburban Detroit, allegedly targeting several LGBTQ bars after purchasing high-powered weapons, stockpiling ammunition, and practicing at local gun ranges.
According to an FBI affidavit, Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, both 20 and from Dearborn, allegedly conspired with at least five unnamed individuals and a minor -- identified as "Person 1" -- to carry out an ISIS-inspired shooting attack on Halloween night. Prosecutors say Ali and Person 1 were to execute the assault while the others planned to travel to Syria to join Islamic State forces.
Grindr has released its annual Grindr Unwrapped report, offering a snapshot of user trends and profile behaviors across the platform.
The report is split into two sections. The first draws on data from the gay dating app's more than 15 million monthly users, highlighting identity markers, sexual habits, fetishes, dating patterns, and connection styles.
The United States has been dubbed "Daddy Capitol of the World" for the sheer number of users who tag themselves as "daddy" or list the subgroup under "My Tribes." Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada follow close behind.
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