Christian conservative Franklin Graham
said in a Facebook post that he is praying for an executive order
from President Donald Trump on “religious freedom” that would
undermine LGBT rights.
The Nation first reported last
week that the administration is preparing an order that would protect
persons and organizations that oppose marriage equality and abortion
rights and believe that a person's sex is determined at or before
birth.
(Related: LGBT
groups say draft of Trump “religious freedom” order would allow
discrimination.)
Graham, a vocal opponent of LGBT rights
and a participant in Trump's inauguration, called on the president to
sign the order.
“The news reports that liberals are
up in arms about a potential executive order from the president to
protect religious freedom in this country,” wrote Graham, the son
of evangelist Billy Graham and head of the Billy Graham Evangelist
Association. “One of the reasons that millions of evangelicals and
Catholics voted for President Donald J. Trump was because of his
commitment to protecting religious freedom, and I believe he is
looking for ways to do that. For years, the Obama administration,
many state governments, and judicial activists attacked core
religious beliefs on life, marriage and religious freedom.”
“The examples across America were
numerous – florists, bakers, photographers, nuns, and pharmacists
who refused to act against their religious beliefs and convictions
were sued, fined, and drug into court, all at great cost. Many lost
their businesses and their families suffered greatly because they
took a stand for their faith. I hope and pray that President Trump
will move forward with this executive order soon – despite threats
from activists with their own agenda,” he
added.
Other groups opposed to LGBT rights,
including the
National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and the American Family
Association (AFA), are also calling on Trump to sign such an
order.