If Obama Believed All People Are Equal, Why Does He Always Hire Anti-Gay Employees?

Obama Offers Little Hope for Faith Based Change in the White House
Frances Kissling

“…..the President signed an Executive Order slightly modifying Bush’s 2001 order which established what was then called the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives and establishing a “President’s Advisory Council for Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnership.” The Executive Order, and White House comments on the priorities of the new Council and the list of initial members, are likely to raise concerns within the progressive religious community and among women leaders.

Perhaps most disturbing is the President’s backpedaling on his campaign assurance that “If you get a Federal grant you can’t use that money to proselytize to the people you help and you can’t discriminate against them or the people you hire on the basis of their religion.”

According to Joshua DuBois, the 26-year-old Pentecostal minister who will staff the Council, the President is taking a more nuanced position on both these issues. Rather than prohibiting proselytizing and non discrimination in hiring, the Executive Order authorizes the director to seek guidance from the Department of Justice on specific issues of “how to respect the Constitution and the application of non-discrimination laws. Groups concerned about these issues will need to be vigilant in insisting that such opinions are actually sought; they can have some confidence that if such matters do find their way to the Office of Legal Counsel in the DOJ, that they will be handled fairly and non-politically, as it is scheduled to be headed by Dawn Johnsen, an attorney with a well-deserved reputation as being respectful of the rule of law and who has substantial experience in reproductive health law.

The “case by case” approach to questions of proselytizing and discrimination are particularly noteworthy given what could be considered a conflict of interest by several members of the Council who represent government-funded religious organizations but who have questionable hiring practices of, and restrictions against adoption by, GLBT persons; or have refused to provide clients with referrals for family planning, emergency contraception or abortion.”

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“…..we invested all of our great passion and energy to stop gay marriage..” ~ World Vision President Richard Stearns, who President Obama appointed to be a member of his Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. From his speech  at the Mobilization to End Poverty, Washington, D.C., April 27, 2009. World Vision has a 1.6 billion dollar budget and gets 27% of it from the US and other governments.

“We don’t proselytize. We do not force our religious beliefs on anyone” ~ World Vision President Richard Stearns ‘Ten (or so) Questions with Richard Stearns, President of World Vision’

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“….under the Bush administration the views of Council members on these issues were largely irrelevant. President Obama has made these views important as a substantial part of the Council’s mission relates to women’s role and sexual and reproductive rights.”

“President Obama’s Council on Faith based and Neighborhood Partnerships will be about as respected as President Bush’s Council on Bio-ethics. As with that Advisory group, the majority presence will drown out the minority and in this case, it will not be junk science that prevails but junk religion.”

~ “Junk Religion”: White House Fills Remaining Faith-Based Slots, by Frances Kissling

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