Trump Nominee for EEOC Chai Feldblum is no Friend of Religious Freedom

President Obama nominated Chai Feldblum to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s five-member board in 2009, however, Feldblum was not confirmed. Obama went around the Senate in 2010 by seating Feldblum on the board while Congress was in recess, however, the Senate later confirmed her nomination during a lame duck session of Congress.

In December of 2017, President Trump re-nominated Feldblum for the EEOC board. He also nominated two Republicans to the board at the same time. The EEOC is required to be bipartisan, so it would be one thing for Trump to nominate a Democrat to the board. However, Feldblum is one of the most radical, anti-natural marriage Democrats. She openly identifies as a lesbian, and her record of religious discrimination is extreme.

Senator Mike Lee wrote in the Daily Signal:

If Feldblum were a typical Democrat, it might make sense to let her nomination proceed through the Senate along with her two Republican colleagues. But Feldblum is no typical Democrat. Her radical views on marriage and the appropriate use of government power place her far outside even the liberal mainstream.

Feldblum has argued that, “I, for one, am not sure marriage is a normatively good institution.” Instead of promoting marriage as the best arrangement for the emotional and economic security of families, Feldblum believes “all of us are harmed … when society fails to acknowledge the wide array of non-marital social structures.”

Feldblum even signed a manifesto proposing government recognition of “diverse kinds” of partnerships that “move beyond the narrow confines of marriage politics” in the United States.

Don’t think for a second that Feldblum’s derogatory views about marriage will stay private. Feldblum wants to turn her opinions into federal policy through the commission.

Peter Sprigg, Senior Fellow for Policy Studies at Family Research Council notes:

Feldblum has publically advocated that sex discrimination in current law should be redefined to include sexual orientation and gender identity. She also believes that religious liberty exemptions should be extremely narrow.

Feldblum is also quoted as saying in 2006, “Sexual liberty should win in most cases. There can be a conflict between religious liberty and sexual liberty, but in almost all cases the sexual liberty should win because that’s the only way that the dignity of gay people can be affirmed in any realistic manner.” Feldblum later said that the reporter who wrote the story with that statement misquoted her, although she did not say in what way.

A Bloomberg news profile in 2015 described her in the following terms, “Today, Feldblum is Washington’s strongest champion for the idea that antigay and antitrans biases constitute discrimination “because of sex.”

It’s time to stop Feldblum from continuing to use her seat on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission board to propagate and advocate for ideas threatening the conscience protections and First Amendment rights of religious citizens. You can send a message to the White House using CFC’s national policy ally (Family Policy Alliance’s) online Action Center.