LGBT advocacy groups sue Trump administration for order limiting diversity training

LGBT advocacy groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting federal government contractors’s use of diversity training initiatives, Reuters reports. 

The executive order, issued in September, would bar nonprofits and other institutions receiving federal funding from participating in training that “promotes race or sex-stereotyping or scapegoating.” The organizations suing the Trump administration said the order violated their free speech rights since it limits the scope of the trainings.

“The President wants to suppress this speech, no matter how effective it is, or how crucial it is to protecting vulnerable people from harm, because acknowledging these systemic barriers that threaten the lives of some people can make others uncomfortable,” their complaint reads. A group of civil rights organizations filed a lawsuit over the order last week making a similar argument, referring to the order as “divisive” and undermining efforts to promote diversity and inclusion.

A coalition of businesses and nonprofits across the country opposed the order in a letter last month because of its ambiguity and negative impact on implementing programs to address diversity. “As currently written, we believe the (executive order) will create confusion and uncertainty, lead to non-meritorious investigations, and hinder the ability of employers to implement critical programs to promote diversity and combat discrimination in the workplace,” they wrote.