Is the Department of Justice forcing federal employees to publicly affirm homosexuality?
On the heels of three more scandals in Washington, D.C., there’s yet another reason Americans should be concerned about our government. This one isn’t about national security or freedom of the press or the IRS, but with how the federal government may be pushing gay rights.
We know President Obama supports same-sex marriage. And it’s well known that certain advocacy groups make a concerted effort to not only normalize the gay lifestyle, but also suppress anyone who dares differ with this “new normal.” The question we Christians must face, then, is this: Will we speak up to sound the alarm as vocally as journalists do to protect their freedom-of-the-press rights? The First Amendment also guarantees the right to religious freedom, which includes the freedom to interpret what the Bible says, even if it isn’t the politically correct version.
In May, CharismaNews.com ran a report that the Obama administration may be requiring federal workers to publicly embrace and affirm homosexuality. A whistle-blower from the Department of Justice (DOJ) contacted Liberty Counsel, led by Mat Staver, seeking help to protect her First Amendment rights. She had received a brochure, sent to all DOJ employees, entitled, “LGBT Inclusion at Work: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Managers” created by an advocacy group called DOJPride, launched in 1994 by a few DOJ employees.
The brochure instructs DOJ supervisors on what to do in June, which the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community celebrates as Gay Pride Month. The brochure says that a good supervisor should vocally affirm homosexuality. “DON’T judge or remain silent. Silence will be interpreted as disapproval,” the brochure tells employees.
It’s unclear if this was actually a directive of the DOJ or just propaganda from DOJPride. But the fact the brochure was distributed speaks volumes. Can you imagine the outcry if a group of Christian government employees sent out a brochure urging people to avoid sex until marriage or condemning those who have extramarital affairs?
The fact is, few Christians in our culture speak up, even though we make up almost 80 percent of the population. When Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy articulated a traditional view of marriage in an interview last summer, all hell broke loose. Or when Tim Tebow articulates his Christian viewpoint, he’s vilified by those who disagree with him. That’s because those men (and others) are speaking truth. It’s a lie that homosexuality, in any of its forms, is normal, yet for a lie to exist it must be in a bubble, undisturbed by the truth.
Apparently Christians can no longer quietly dissent or remain neutral to same-sex relationships. Now the DOJ seems to be requiring federal employees to affirm sexual behaviors that every major religion in history has deemed immoral.
A gay employee is quoted in the brochure: “Silence seems like disapproval. There’s still an atmosphere of LGBT issues not being appropriate for the workplace … or that people who bring it up are trying to rock the boat.” The brochure also tells managers to “use inclusive words like partner, significant other or spouse rather than gender-specific terms like husband and wife” and to “use a transgender person’s chosen name and the pronoun that is consistent with the person’s self-identified gender.”
“This administration is pushing the most radical, immoral agenda on the American people,” Staver notes. “Christians are not merely required to ‘shut up,’ but now they are being coerced to embrace immorality that goes against their sincerely held religious beliefs. Liberty Counsel will do whatever is required to stand for religious freedom amidst this religiously intolerant administration.”
By contrast, many well-meaning Christians avoid supporting fellow believers in this fight because they disagree on other matters of theology and therefore don’t want to be seen as endorsing those believers. I know this because I’ve had leaders tell me this when I tried to get their cooperation, even to meet with fellow believers to strategize on what to do.
We must get over our petty differences. These are critical issues. Christians must stand together in favor of a traditional view of marriage and sexuality and stop the tide of political correctness that is washing over our culture.
Steve Strang is the founder and publisher of Charisma. Follow him on Twitter at @sstrang or on Facebook (stephenestrang). To receive the Strang Report by email go to charismamag.com/strangreport.
Stephen Strang