An August 15th Trump administration proposal to clarify the religious hiring rights of religious employers in federal contracting is being labeled a “license to discriminate” against LGBT job seekers. Dr. Stanley Carlson-Thies suggests an alternative framework for understanding this proposed rulemaking: it is a much-needed effort to affirm the religious staffing freedom that exists in the federal contracting rules and that was left untouched when President Obama added protections for LGBT people. There are not many religious organizations that contract with the federal government (in distinction from receiving federal grants). Still, the proposed changes are important protections for their religious rights and important also for ensuring that such organizations—who may be the best providers of goods and services—are not excluded from eligibility.
State of the Union an Opportunity for Faith-based Organizations to Demonstrate Impact
President Trump’s first State of the Union speech, delivered January 30th, has drawn both strong criticism and strong support. Missing from the commentary, however, was…