The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told its employees this week that it was imposing a transgender pronoun mandate as part of its new Gender Identity Non-Discrimination and Inclusion Guidance.
The HHS announcement to its employees came in an email on what has been called “National Coming Out Day,” an annual event to support anyone declaring they are homosexual. It has been observed by the LGBTQ community since 1988.
“All employees should be addressed {by} the names and pronouns they use to describe themselves,” the email read.
A link was provided in the email to an HHS internal video that has been posted to YouTube. In the video, HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm told employees, “We want you to be your authentic self every day, regardless of your gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion or disability status. We want to make sure that HHS continues to be a welcoming supportive environment where all employees feel safe coming to work. When individuals bring their whole selves to work, all of us at HHS thrive.”
HHS Assistant Secretary for Administration Cheryl Campbell also appears in the video, announcing a special policy of “protections for transgender and non-binary employees across the department.”
“It also makes clear that all employees should be addressed by the names and pronouns they use to describe themselves,” Campbell said.
There was no mention of accommodating or exempting employees in the video who have religious objections to transgender ideology from the new policy, the National Catholic Register noted.
Neither the email nor the video explained how the new policy would be enforced or how staff would disciplined if found in violation of the policy. However, HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine, who noted using she/her pronouns “as an out and proud transgender woman” in a senior leadership position at HHS in the video, noted that all supervisors and managers would be responsible for making sure the policy is implemented across the entire department.
In a post on the social media platform X, Roger Severino, the vice president of domestic policy at The Heritage Foundation, posted an image from the email, writing, “HHS today imposed a transgender pronoun mandate on its employees who will now be forced to deny biological realities with their own words or face firing. Those with faith objections should immediately request religious accommodation and prepare to fight for your rights.”
HHS today imposed a transgender pronoun mandate on its employees who will now be forced to deny biological realities with their own words or face firing. Those with faith objections should immediately request religious accommodation and prepare to fight for your rights. pic.twitter.com/VW696MnE3y
— Roger Severino (@RogerSeverino_) October 11, 2023
In a follow-up post, Severino wrote: “Here’s the HHS Pronoun Mandate more clearly. This admin really is requiring pure ideological conformity. Let’s see how tolerant this admin will be of those who will seek an opt-out out of faith or compelled speech concerns.”
Here’s the HHS Pronoun Mandate more clearly. This admin really is requiring pure ideological conformity. Let’s see how tolerant this admin will be of those who will seek an opt-out out of faith or compelled speech concerns. pic.twitter.com/yhlTZIkBxc
— Roger Severino (@RogerSeverino_) October 11, 2023
Severino told the Catholic News Agency (CNA) in an interview that the new policy will be used to target Christian employees.
“It absolutely will lead to targeting Christians because the {Biden} administration has made it abundantly clear that it prioritizes gender ideology over free speech and religious freedom rights,” he said.
The Heritage Foundation vice president also said there are constitutional complications with the policy.
“Under the First Amendment, {the department} cannot compel people to speak falsehoods; it also cannot compel people to adopt as their own a state-approved ideology {and it} cannot require people of faith to deny their faith with their own lips,” Severino told the CNA.
“People should be prepared to file lawsuits to indicate their free speech and religious liberty rights and people of faith should flood HHS with religious accommodations requests and be prepared to defend themselves and their faith from this attack,” he said.
In addition, the new HHS policy allows employees to wear clothing and use restrooms according to their gender identity.
CBN News has reached out to the HHS for comment, asking if department employees would be disciplined if they were found to be in violation of the new policy and if any accommodation or exemption would be given to religious employees who do not agree with transgender ideology.
We will post the government’s response here if we hear back.
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