100 plus religious leaders sign letter to Obama

More than 100 leaders of religious, faith-based organizations, including John Brown University president Charles Pollard, urged President Barack Obama to consider religious-freedom protection before signing an executive order that would curb sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination.

The order, if signed, will mandate that all businesses that work with the federal government cannot discriminate against anyone who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

Religious leaders said in the letter that they should have legal protections when it comes to deciding who is qualified to be employed within their organization and should be free to make all decisions regarding hiring practices.

"Any executive order that does not fully protect religious freedom will face widespread opposition and will further fragment our nation," the letter states.

Jacob Little, a JBU graduate, former staff member and member of OneJBU, a group of LGBT allies at John Brown University, disagreed.

"I think Christian organizations of all kinds would do well to appreciate the diversity of all kinds," Little said. "Diversity makes an organization stronger and different points of view enrich everyone -- it's the basis of education."

He went on the say that the message they are sending is that "LGBT individuals are not equal in the university's eyes."

"I am personally disappointed that president Pollard signed the letter," Little said.

Pollard was unavailable for comment. A statement sent to the Herald-Leader from Lucas Roebuck, director of communications for JBU, outlined JBU's position.

"John Brown University supports the first-amendment rights of all religious organizations, and we appreciate the diverse group of religious and academic leaders, including our university president, who are engaging with President Obama to assure groups can continue their ministries while retaining their religious identity," Roebuck wrote.

Holly Dickson, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, said that an executive order must apply, without exception, to all federal contractors and that this is an issue of the use of taxpayer money to discriminate.

"When an organization, including those with a religious affiliation, makes the decision to request a taxpayer-funded contract with the federal government, it must play by the same rules as every other federal contractor," Dickson wrote in an email. "Those who are urging President Obama to include an exemption in this (executive order) are, in effect, demanding that LGBT people subsidize their own discrimination by the government."

"To many in the LGBT communities across the country, this letter feels like a fist swung towards our face," Little said. Little was approached by LGBT alliance members from Gordon College in Boston, Mass., and together they created a Change.org petition, which requests that Obama protect members of the LGBT community from discrimination.

"We believe that everyone is endowed with inherent value and dignity, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. This concept of worth parallels the core American value that each person is created equal, and endowed with inalienable rights," they wrote in the petition.

More than 100 graduates, faculty members and staff from Gordon College and JBU signed the petition.

"These rights, as outlined by the Constitution, include the right to freedom of religion; both in ideology and practice. This is a right that we hold with high regard, and do not seek to undermine," the petition states. "However, it seems that this right has been referenced in an attempt to gain leverage over already marginalized persons."

Faith-based leaders who signed the letter to Obama said their request is valid based on "historical context of strong federal legal protections for religious organizations' hiring practices and that "they are free under Title VII to maintain conduct standards that reflects their religions' sincerely held beliefs, which include deep convictions about human sexuality."

"Under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as upheld by a unanimous Supreme Court, religious organizations are free to consider religion when deciding who is most qualified to join their respective staffs," the letter stated.

Although Title VII prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin, there is a clause that does allow discrimination when it is reasonably necessary to the normal operation of a particular business or enterprise, called the Bona Fide Occupational Qualification exemption.

This exemption includes work within religious groups, which includes educational institutions.

Little said that he desires peace and understanding when it comes to this issue, and he hopes the people he works to represent will be protected with the executive order.

"We come from the same faith -- we understand that addressing this issue is hard and that change on this issue will come slowly, but our desire is for peace, understanding and dialogue not confrontation and conflict and we're committed to continue that," Little said.

General News on 07/20/2014