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Conservative Leaders Want White House to Oppose House Democrats' Equality Act

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Conservative organizations are asking the White House to issue a statement strongly opposing the House Democrats' Equality Act. 

Nearly 100 conservative leaders signed a statement on Friday opposing the legislation that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has vowed to make one of her top legislative priorities, according to The Daily Signal.

Leaders of the Family Research Council, the March for Life, Heritage Action for America, the Media Research Center, Judicial Watch, and American Values all signed the statement from the Conservative Action Project, calling on all conservatives to reject the Equality Act when it comes to a vote in the House of Representatives. 
 
As CBN News has reported, the House Judiciary Committee voted last week to advance the deceptively named "Equality Act," which, according to the conservative legal nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom, "gives people of faith an ultimatum: Change your faith-based practices or face government punishment."

If the measure is approved the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act would both be amended to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, and the jury system.

"The Equality Act explicitly nullifies the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as a defense to a claim under any portion of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. This exacerbates already troubling trends which are silencing people of faith and limiting the autonomy of religious organizations. The ability of churches, synagogues, and mosques to employ people according to their religious beliefs will be severely limited," a portion of the Conservative Action Project statement reads. 

"Even without the law, religious institutions and individuals have come under sustained fire for living out their religious beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman and that we are born male and female. Under the Equality Act, individuals and institutions could see increased lawsuits for failing to affirm same-sex marriage (in foster care and adoption), make single-sex private facilities co-ed, and use preferred pronouns for individuals who identify as transgender," the statement continued. 

According to The Daily Signal, the White House has released 21 statements on administration policy on various bills but has yet to issue one on the Equality Act. "A statement of administration policy is important in this case because this is such an unacceptable piece of legislation," Travis Weber, vice president of policy for the Family Research Council, told the website. "It's an attack on women. It's an attack on religious freedom. It's important that the White House let Congress know this is unacceptable."

While it's not an official statement a of policy, a senior White House official says the president would oppose the Equality Act, telling the Washington Blade, "The Trump administration absolutely opposes discrimination of any kind and supports the equal treatment of all; however, this bill in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights."

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of