Message at Supreme Court: Constitution protects both minority and majority viewpoints

Speakers included the mother (center, in red) of a girl
who transitioned against the mother's will through
the intervention of government authorities.

I recently spoke outside the Supreme Court in the face of raucous protests on the day of oral arguments in a case involving transgender individuals and alleged sex discrimination, R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Speeches had resumed outside the court after a bomb scare had prompted police to clear the area.

Speeches resumed after police cleared the area for a bomb scare.

Members of the LGBT community relentlessly hassled and harried speakers on our side of the argument by launching wailing sirens, shouting with bullhorns in the faces of speakers and chanting mantras like "homophobe" while we spoke (a special irony given that our speakers included a lesbian and a former transgender man). I imagine their side had some reasonable arguments to make, but I could hear none over the sirens, bullhorn and chanting.
My remarks follow:

In a recent national poll of faith-based health professionals, virtually all of them declared, "I care for all patients in need, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identification, or family makeup, with sensitivity and compassion, even when I cannot validate their choices."
In that same poll, 91% of those faith-based health professionals also said they oppose "Redefining 'sex' in federal discrimination laws to mean gender identity, defined as one's internal sense of being 'male, female, neither or a combination of male and female.'"
So they treat all patients with care and compassion, but they need the freedom to recognize and rely on biology when treating their patients.
But some people think that to show compassion and respect for transgender individuals, the government has to force everyone to ignore not only the clear evidence of biology but also the clear meaning of the law.
That's why a few ideological members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and activist judges have rejected the plain meaning of sex discrimination that Congress, women and doctors have all understood and relied upon for decades.

Reading transgenderism into decades-old sex discrimination law
threatens women's rights and sports, as track star Selina Soule
(above) discovered. Photo: Alliance Defends

In the process, these activists are threatening to undermine the very protections against sex discrimination that Congress enacted, which have transformed opportunities for women.
So this case today is as much about the law and individual freedom as it is about gender.
We will have no individual freedom in our country if the government can require you to believe whatever the government wants you to believe.
The genius of our nation's constitutional protection of individual rights and freedom is not only that the minority is protected from the tyranny of the majority, but also that the majority is protected from the tyranny of the minority. The goal of our democratic republic is protecting the greatest freedom for each one of us, protecting us from government coercion, whether our views align with the majority or with a minority.
So let's all work together to protect each other's freedom to choose our beliefs, and to act in accordance with those beliefs, without government coercion. 

.

Dr. Allen Josephson (left), former chief of the
Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and
Psychology at the University of Louisville, spoke
about how he lost his position after expressing his
professional opinions on the treatment
of youth experiencing gender dysphoria.

Thank you.

As expected, mainstream media coverage slanted toward
stories sympathetic to the LGBT community.

Essay 10: Conscience freedom extends from campus to career

Atty. Gen. Sessions: religious liberty threats
"must be confronted and defeated."

Editor's Note: This is the tenth essay in a series on conscience in healthcare, by Freedom2Care Director Jonathan Imbody. For the other essays, click "ConscienceEssay" on Topics at left.

I recently attended a U.S. Department of Justice conference headlined by remarks by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, on religious freedom. [i]

The Attorney General pointedly addressed the false notion, advocated in recent years by abortion advocates including some in the medical community, that professionals automatically sacrifice their Constitutional freedoms when they choose their profession:

Three steps to landing a job in the new administration

1.    Learn about the opportunities and the process.

• Transition website: www.greatagain.com (President Elect Donald Trump’s website) - https://www.greatagain.gov/serve-america.html)
• Help Wanted: 4,000 Political Employee release: https://www.greatagain.gov/news/help-wanted-4000-presidential-appointees.html
• Presidential appointments listing - “Plum Book” – http://tinyurl.com/plum16 - research specific positions for each agency. Google job titles to find out more about the specifics of each position. Determine which of the different types of positions (e.g., senate-confirmed, non-career senior executive, etc.—see Types of Appointments list* below) in which you are interested.

o   Top Senate-confirmed appointments position descriptions: (http://presidentialtransition.org/publications/viewcontentdetails.php?id=1352).

o   Guide for employees applying for positions and rights (Office of Personnel Management) (https://www.opm.gov/about-us/our-people-organization/support-functions/executive-secretariat/presidential-transition-guide-2016.pdf).

• Partnership for Public Service website: www.presidentialtransition.org 

2.    Apply.

o   Administration application web page: https://apply.ptt.gov/ - submit your CV, brief essay and cover letter and indicate in what areas (i.e., agencies, job functions, policies) you'd like to work.

3.    Submit your information to candidate referrers.

Freedom2Care (exclusively for health professionals):

·         Send your CV (Word or .pdf format), along with 3-5 bullet points summarizing your qualifications, and a list of positions in which you are interested, to washington@cmda.org.

·         Federal Interest Survey: https://s.zoomerang.com/r/Freedom2Care - indicate your experience, interests and values.

·         Federal registry on LinkedIn -  keep your CV and get updates on opportunities for federal service. On the www.LinkedIn.com website (sign in or join for free), go to the search box, click the left arrow and select Groups. Type in Freedom2Care. (If you have problems, just email washington@cmda.org and ask to be added to the group.) How to import your CV to LinkedIn (http://tinyurl.com/h5q5yhk). Visibility options: http://tinyurl.com/hg28oj5

Heritage Foundation (for all candidates):

·         Restore America Candidate Form: http://tinyurl.com/jxpqo4p  – use to note your own availability. After completing this step, health professionals can email washington@cmda.org to request an endorsement (see below).

·         Restore America Recommendation Form: http://tinyurl.com/jtykn7o  – use to endorse/recommend a colleague.

*Types of Appointments:

• Presidential Appointments with Senate Confirmation (PAS): 1,212 senior leaders, including Cabinet secretaries and deputies, heads of most independent agencies and ambassadors, who must be confirmed by the Senate. These positions first require a Senate hearing in addition to background checks and other vetting.
• Presidential Appointments without Senate Confirmation (PA): 353 PA positions, mostly White House staff plus some in smaller federal agencies
• Non-career Senior Executive Service (NA): 680 key positions just below top presidential appointees, bridging gap between political leaders and civil service throughout the federal government. Most SES members are career officials, but up to 10 percent of the SES can be political appointees. (see https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service).
• Schedule C Appointments (SC): 1,403 Schedule C appointees who serve in a confidential or policy role, ranging from schedulers and confidential assistants to policy experts.