Christian conservatives Mat Staver and
Tony Perkins have cheered a Trump administration rule that will allow
adoption agencies to refuse placement with LGBT couples.
The new Health and Human Services (HHS)
rule undoes an Obama-era policy prohibiting discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation and gender identity among federal
grantees, which include adoption agencies.
Perkins, president of the Family
Research Council (FRC) and a supporter of President Donald Trump's
policies, called the change “tremendous news for children, birth
moms, and adoptive families who want the opportunity to work with an
agency that shares their values and core beliefs – without fear of
government discrimination.”
“Under the proposed HHS rule,
faith-based adoption providers will no longer have to choose between
abandoning their faith or abandoning homeless children because the
government disapproves of their views on marriage,” Perkins said.
“We commend President Trump for his
courage to stand up for vulnerable children, adoptive families, and
those who serve them,” he added.
Staver's Liberty Counsel defends
business owners and others who are opposed to LGBT rights, such as
bakers or florists who refuse to serve same-sex couples.
He called the rule a “great decision
in favor of religious freedom and the well-being of children” and
added that “faith-based agencies should not be punished for
protecting” children waiting to be adopted.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)
has labeled Liberty Counsel and FRC as “hate groups” for their
history of vilifying members of the LGBT community.