Virginia governor issues order requiring state contractors to have anti-discrimination policies

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe signed an executive order that prohibits the state from giving contracts to entities that do not have anti-discrimination policies regarding sexual orientation or gender identity.

"It is hereby ordered as the policy of the Executive Branch that it will only contract with those who abide by the non-discrimination policies set forward in Executive Order 1 (2014), namely that discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, political affiliation, disability, or veteran status is prohibited," the order stated, as reported by The Christian Post.

The 61st executive order, which was signed at the University of Virginia on Jan. 5, builds upon the first one that McAuliffe issued when he took office in 2014, which banned discrimination against LGBT state employees.

Critics charged that the executive order sanctions religious discrimination against business owners who hold moral objections to homosexuality and transgenderism.

Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia, said that the order is an attack on faith and described it as an "unconstitutional act of intimidation and bullying of businesses and charities."

"It is also in direct violation of the Virginia Constitution that states, 'the right to be free from any governmental discrimination upon the basis of religious conviction . . . shall not be abridged,'" Cobb went on to say.

The order applies to new contracts that are valued over $10,000. The measure provides an exception for adoption agencies that refuse to place children for religious reasons with certain people, such as homosexuals.

Equality Virginia Executive Director James Parrish commended McAuliffe for issuing the executive order.

He noted that 89 percent of the Fortune 500 companies already have anti-discrimination policies. He added that 17 out of 18 Fortune 500 companies based in Virginia have protections against discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

The order came just days after State Del. Bob Marshall introduced a bill that would prohibit people from using restrooms that are meant for use by members of the opposite sex. McAuliffe has vowed to veto Marshall's bill if it reaches his desk.

Marshall also proposed a measure that aims to annul McAuliffe's executive order. He noted that several businesses throughout the country have been punished because of their policies that prohibit them from providing goods and services to events that celebrate homosexuality.