On Tuesday January 12, during Donald Trump’s last days in office, the US Department of Health and Human Services finalised regulations which would allow government funded social-service providers to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people.
According to NBC News, the 77-page ruling retracts anti-discrimination policies made during Obama’s presidency which legally required social-service agencies to refrain from discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity.
However, the Trump administration argued that the previous policies violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Experts believe the new regulations will particularly affect agencies involved in adoption and foster-parenting, homelessness, HIV.