LGBT Executive Order: Trump Could Target Gay Adoptions, Federal Workers Discrimination

President Donald Trump is reportedly considering an executive order directed at the LGBT community that could lead to discrimination from federal workers and potentially hinder gays from adopting children, according to media reports. The order could rescind a previous order signed by former President Barack Obama that protected members of the LGBT community from discrimination while employed with federal contractors.

Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin cited an unnamed source Monday with information about an executive order pertaining to LGBT adoption rights and confirmed the order could affect employee benefits and other protections. Daily Kos reported a similar story Monday afternoon. The order could be announced as early as Thursday when Trump attends the National Prayer Breakfast, according to Daily Kos, and it could allow federal employees to refuse service to LGBT community members on religious grounds.

On the campaign trail, Trump received some praise for mentioning the LGBT community during his speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July. However, his remarks were in stark contrast to a bill signed by then Indiana governor and current Vice President Mike Pence back in May 2015, called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. It allowed individuals or businesses to deny service to gays, lesbians, bisexuals or transgender individuals based on their own religious beliefs.

After the Supreme Court’s landmark decision that afforded gays the right to marry in the U.S., a federal judge in April struck down a Mississippi ban on gay couples adopting children. U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan issued a preliminary injunction and said the state’s law violated the Constitution’s “equal protection clause,” CNN reported. A month later, the state opted not to appeal the injunction. Before those events, Mississippi was the last state in the country to deny gays from adopting children.

When Obama signed his order in July 2014, it was a direct result of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives opting not to vote on his administration’s Employment Non-Discrimination Act despite the Senate passing the measure 64-32, Politico reported.