Conservatives blame Ivanka Trump for ‘sabotaging’ anti-LGBT executive order

Anti-LGBT conservatives have claimed that Ivanka Trump is responsible for sabotaging a religious freedom executive order.

Donald Trump yesterday marked the ‘National Day of Prayer’ with anti-LGBT conservatives, signing an executive order in a White House photo op that he claimed would boost ‘religious freedom’.

An early draft of the order leaked from inside the White House showed plans to protect people who discriminate based on “the belief that marriage is or should be recognised as the union of one man and one woman [or that] male and female refer to an individual’s immutable biological sex as objectively determined by anatomy at birth”.

However, the final version of the order was edited to remove the explicitly anti-LGBT language, instead passing the buck to Attorney General Jeff Sessions to “issue guidance interpreting religious liberty protections in Federal law”.

While Sessions’ review is likely to impact LGBT people, the neutering of the order has infuriated anti-LGBT conservatives.

The American Family Association, who had strongly supported the first version of the order, penned a furious statement that directly accuses the President’s daughter Ivanka Trump of sabotaging the order.

The AFA’s Bryan Fischer wrote: “This morning’s empty and symbolic action on the president’s part most likely betrays the hidden hand of the president’s uber-liberal daughter, Ivanka, who likely leaked the February draft to a liberal rag (The Nation) in order to stir up enough intense outrage from the LGBT community to strangle this baby in the cradle.

“It worked. Ivanka wore out her red pencil eviscerating the original order, leaving us with today’s order which has very nice language but is virtually entirely lacking in substance.

“The president’s words today were fine, and encouraging as far as they went. The problem with the president’s speech in the Rose Garden is what he did not say.”

Mr Fischer added: “The religious liberty executive order President Trump signed hardly helped the cause of religious liberty.

“There was no word of comfort, encouragement, or support for those who have been victimized by the relentless persecution of the homosexual lobby.

“They apparently will have to wait for another day, waiting without any assurance that this new administration will stand with them and protect their constitutional liberties.

“The best grade we can give the president for today’s remarks is an incomplete.”

Ms Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, who is a senior advisor to President Donald Trump, are moderate voices within the Trump administration.

Much attention has been given to Kushner’s feud with White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, a far-right activist.

The National Organization for Marriage said: “The order falls far short of what is needed to protect people of faith from governmental persecution set in motion by the Obama administration.

“Instead, he has punted the issue to the Department of Justice which, he says, will develop new rules to protect the religious liberty rights of people and groups.

“This is the second time that President Trump has backed away from signing a comprehensive order protecting religious liberty after LGBT groups complained about the proposed actions.”

They added: “While we are disappointed that President Trump did not directly protect the religious liberty rights of people of faith, this battle is far from over. NOM is committed to fighting to ensure that the new rules that are developed by the Department of Justice are comprehensive and effective, and we will need your help in doing so.”

• Dec 31 2024

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