He With a Pen and a Phone will sign an executive order today forcing all private companies with government contracts to adopt policies giving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender applicants special protection.  There is no exemption for religious beliefs or conscience, except in the very narrow case of “ministerial” employment (clergy).

Most large, for profit companies already have non-discrimination policies, and most of them have detailed gender identity protections.  Even most small companies that deal with the government are used to hiring quotas, 8A requirements, and other federal red tape.  This executive order is targeted at one group in particular: non-profits.

It means that non-profit, religious groups, such as church-based daycare centers, adoption services, and soup kitchens will, in order to receive federal money, be forced to hire transgender and cross-dressing men and women, who don’t agree with the organization’s own values.  In fact, they’ll be forced to hire people who work against the organization’s values and conscience.

Obama’s signature will accomplish by fiat much of what the failed ENDA legislation would have done, with two key differences.  ENDA had broad exemptions which were negotiated into the latest drafts, which would protect most religious organizations from having their core values violated, and ENDA would have applied nationally, across the board.

Today’s executive order has none of the exemptions, and applies only to organizations accepting government funds.  This will push most religious organizations out of any partnerships with government programs, hindering their funding.  A scenario like this happened in Massachusetts in 2006, when Catholic Charities shuttered their adoption service rather than comply with Mass’ rule to allow homosexuals to adopt using their service.

Gay media welcomed the news, quoting “The Blade”, a gay newspaper:

‘You can use religion to only hire people who share your religion, but you can’t discriminate against somebody who is of your faith who happens to be LGBT, unless they fall within the ministerial exemption,’ The Blade quotes senior officials as saying.

After today, a man can simply say “I am a Southern Baptist”, wearing a dress, high heels, and lipstick, while applying to work at Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief.  If he is not hired, he can file a complaint, leading to cancellation of all federal funding for SBC.

This executive order is part of Obama’s modus operandi of revenge: punishing enemies and rewarding friends.  Since Congress refused to pass ENDA, the Supreme Court ruled against Obama in the Hobby Lobby case, and the Senate failed to pass legislation nullifying RFRA (the law upon which SCOTUS based their ruling), Obama is striking back himself.

Of course, the media is waiting with baited breath to cover this, and extremists in the LGBT community are ready to test it out.  I’m sure they’ve planned exactly which groups to target, and the media will obligingly toe the line, with a litany of “bigoted acts” emanating from church-based organizations.

If you are involved with a religious charity that accepts any kind of federal money, get ready.  Overt persecution is about to become the norm.

As Erick has said many times, you will be made to care.