Ahead of Wednesday's introduction of
the Equality Act, Catholic League head Bill Donohue said in a press
release that discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender people can be justified in some instances, though he did
not give any examples.
The Equality Act is a federal bill that
seeks to prohibit discrimination against people who identify as LGBT.
(Related: Pete
Buttigieg endorses LGBT protections bill Equality Act.)
Donohue, a vocal opponent of LGBT
rights, said that the bill was flawed because it was based on the
“false assumption” that sexual orientation and gender identity
“are analogous to race and ethnicity, and are therefore deserving
of the same protections afforded by the Civil Rights Act.”
“While no one can justify unequal
treatment on the basis of ascribed characteristics such as race and
ethnicity, justifying disparate treatment on the basis of achieved
characteristics such as sexual orientation and gender identity can be
justified in some instances,” Donohue wrote.
“If African Americans qualify for
preferential treatment because of the way the Civil Rights Act has
been interpreted, then there is no stopping homosexuals and the
sexually confused from qualifying were the Equality Act to pass.”
“This would mean that an employer who
is a practicing Catholic, evangelical Christian, observant Jew,
Muslim, or Mormon, would be expected to give preferential treatment
to homosexuals and the sexually confused (save for small businessmen)
when hiring,” he added.
(Related: Catholic
League's Bill Donohue opposes gay marriage because marriage is not
about love.)