By Ryan T. Anderson
Many Christian leaders across the country have bought into the “fairness for all” movement, which would implement SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) accommodations at a federal level while carving out exceptions for churches. Public policy experts are calling this out for what it really is: the accommodation of deep difference by imposing LGBT orthodoxy on the country. Member schools must continue to stay vigilant of what is happening locally and nationally and develop a strategy to carve out exceptions to what will soon be imposed on them. Although it is cowardly what church leaders are doing, people like us who are in the business of providing services, in so far as we can demonstrate a specific and sincere religious import to our service, will have a stronger claim to exemption from potential SOGI laws. The more we frame our services as a general public service, however, the more dubious our claim to exemption will appear.
“Rod Dreher reports on a conversation he had with “a prominent conservative Evangelical political strategist” who requested to remain anonymous. Dreher writes: “He simply believes that ethically and politically, this is the right thing to do. In Smith’s view, in a pluralistic society like America 2018, do unto others as you would have them do unto you is a good rule for religious liberty advocates and gay rights supporters alike.”
The golden rule is always a good rule for all people. But the public policy being proposed doesn’t embody the golden rule. Making “gender identity” a protected class in federal policy, for example, could impose a nationwide transgender bathroom policy, a nationwide pronoun policy, and a nationwide sex-reassignment health care mandate.
This is anything but the golden rule. And imposing bad law on everyone else while exempting yourself is the exact opposite of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.”