Contractor Rule Could Pit Religious Liberties Against LGBT Rights (Corrected)

The Labor Department plans to prioritize religious liberty protections for federal contractors, but the timeline for explaining what that means for LGBT discrimination investigations is unknown.

A spokesman declined to say when the department will release a new rule allowing contractors to use religious beliefs as a shield against job discrimination charges. That regulation would implement an Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs directive announced Aug. 10.

The directive is an indication that the OFCCP is making religious liberty a priority under the Trump administration. But it’s still unclear how the federal contractor watchdog will thread the needle between religious ...