Tue 31 Jan 2017 In: International News View at Wayback View at NDHA
US President Donald Trump is rumoured to have drafted an executive order regarding LGBTI rights that could include allowing employment discrimination, allowing taxpayer-funded workers to refuse service to LGBTI people and discrimination pardoned under the guise of “religious freedom”. US President Donald Trump signing an executive order cutting business regulations. (Carlos Barria/Reuters) The rumours stem from a Bloomberg report and Washington Post writer, Josh Rogin says that a source in the Trump administration has confirmed to him that they are in fact true. White House press secretary Sean Spicer refused to discuss the issue at a press briefing today and told reporters “I’m not getting ahead of the executive orders that we may or may not issue. “There’s a lot of executive orders, a lot of things the president has talked about and will continue to fulfill, but we have nothing on that front now,” he said. Responding to the rumours, Senior Vice President of the Human Rights Campaign JoDee Winterhof says “We already know that he is willing to target and marginalize at-risk communities for his perceived political gain. As the president and his team plan their next steps, we want to make one thing clear: we won’t give one inch when it comes to defending equality, whether it is a full-on frontal assault or an attack under the guise of religion. Mike Pence should know that better than anyone given his track record in Indiana. The Human Rights Campaign will stand with those who have already been targeted by this administration and are prepared to fight tooth and nail against every effort to discriminate.” Since his inauguration on 20 January, Trump has signed a range of executive orders including a refugee ban and ban of visitors from seven predominately Muslim countries, plans to go forward with the construction of a border wall between Mexico and the US, advancement of the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone XL Pipeline and reinstating a ban on international abortion counselling.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 31st January 2017 - 3:43pm