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Official DOJ Pride Logo |
by Cortland Bobczynski , CitizenLink: A
Department of Justice (DOJ) group called
DOJ Pride recently sent out
a directive requiring employees to vocally affirm homosexuality: "DON'T judge or remain silent," it says. "Silence will be interpreted as disapproval."
A DOJ employee contacted Liberty Counsel to protect her First Amendment Rights, after receiving an email entitled "LGBT Inclusion at Work: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Managers."
It instructed managers to display a symbol, like the "DOJ Pride" sticker and demanded that phrases such as “gay lifestyle” and “sexual preference” be banned and “husband and wife” be replaced with “partner,” “significant other” or “spouse.”
Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, took some time to discuss this issue and how situations like this can affect religious freedom in the workplace.
CitizenLink: Does the DOJ Pride have an official stamp of approval from the Department of Justice?
Mat Staver: Yes, the DOJ Pride has significant power; it is operating with the authority of other various agencies. DOJ Pride has the power to complain. It is composed of individual employees within the DOJ, however the directive has come all the way from the Obama administration to make sure these policies are implemented. The people within the highest level of these agencies are operating under the directive of the administration to comply and implement these policies. In 2009, the government elected an individual whose sole task was to push the LGBT agenda in all of the federal agencies, so the FBI and the CIA, among other agencies, have created Pride groups. DOJ Pride is a product of this. The administration is trying to push Pride in all of the federal agencies. The DOJ has implemented a very strong emphasis for the LGBT agenda and they have called it the DOJ Pride. Employees on the inside are working with homosexual and LGBT organizations from the outside.
CL: Is this only the beginning of federal departments forcing employees to comply?
Mat Staver: It is only the beginning under this administration. This administration has used the federal agencies including the U.S. Military to push the LGBT agenda. It is implementing the LGBT agenda in an unprecedented way, not just in the Department of Justice, but in the USDA, FBI, CIA, and in every agency that exists under the federal jurisdiction of the executive branch.
CL: Would a private corporation be able to send out this email to its employees?
Mat Staver: If a private corporation sent out this email to its employees, it is likely that the employee would have a cause-of-action against the employer for forcing him or her to engage in these kinds of activities.
CL: Does an email like this create tension between employees?
Mat Staver: Absolutely, there is no question that it creates more tension. This takes the advancement of the LGBT agenda to a new level. Not just is it telling its employees to remain quiet in regards to their opposition to homosexuality or any other sexual practices, but it is also telling them that they have to speak in affirmation of such practices and behavior. And if they don’t, it will be considered opposition. This is a direct assault on the conscience and this administration is taking it to the extreme. The Obama administration has appointed Chai Feldblum to head the Equal Opportunity Employment commission that considers employment discrimination claims. Chai Feldblum has been a radical outspoken activist of the LGBT agenda before she was appointed by the government. She has been quoted saying the LGBT movement is a zero-sum game when it comes to religious freedom. This means there will be a winner and there will be a loser and in her view, religious freedom loses and LGBT rights win.
CL: Can you explain the difference between non-discrimination in the workplace and tolerance of religious beliefs?
Mat Staver: Non-discrimination is different than tolerance of religious beliefs. Non-discrimination means that one does not discriminate on the basis of hiring, promoting, or granting benefits because of a protected category. Understand that there is no protected category for sexual orientation under federal law. There is a protected category under federal law for race and religion; however, there is no category for sexual orientation. Even if it was a protected category under federal law it would mean that you could not discriminate on the basis of hiring, terminating, promoting, or granting benefits. It does not mean, however, that you have to agree with or that you have to affirmatively speak in favor of the protected class.
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