Joe.My.God. LGBT News
For nearly eight years hate group leader Tony Perkins has wailed relentlessly about the Obama administration “meddling in the affairs of sovereign nations” by calling out countries that impose harsh penalties, including the death sentence, on their LGBT citizens. But surprise, surprise, Perkins wants Trump to do exactly that for Christians. Via press release:
One of the bills at the top of our list, which we hope Congress can squeeze onto its schedule, is Rep. Chris Smith’s (R-N.J.) “Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Act,” which would help turn the floodlights on the dark world of faith-based hostility. Under this administration, religious liberty hasn’t been pushed to the back seat — it has no seat at the table of U.S. priorities. In the waning days of 2016, conservatives are racing to fill the diplomatic gap left by this White House and help lay the groundwork for a new administration to combat a crisis that’s caused the blood of countless innocents around the world to be spilled. Under Rep. Smith’s bill, America would create a “special watch list of countries or violent state actors that have engaged in or tolerated such violations, but do not yet meet the criteria for designation as countries of particular concern for religious freedom.”
As Frank Wolf and I explained in a joint column on the subject, the bill would hold offending countries to a higher level of accountability. It would also direct the president to appoint a Special Adviser for Global Religion Engagement and International Religious Freedom, a clear sign to the world that Americans take this issue seriously in U.S. foreign policy. If this president won’t talk about religious persecution, Congress must. In the absence of strong leadership, our enemies only gain more power to destroy this fundamental right.
Fortunately, religious liberty has a friend in President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who both understand that America has a legal and moral obligation to speak and act on behalf of this universal right. Leaders in the House and Senate can help jumpstart that priority by adding the bill to their list of must-pass legislation this week. Back in 2015, the idea was so popular that it sailed through the House on unanimous consent. The best gift America could give the world this Christmas is new hope that people can once again hear the message of the child who was born in a manger without fear.
RELATED: Last month the United Nations narrowly voted to keep a global LGBT rights watchdog position over the screaming objections of US-based Christian groups like C-FAM.