By Brad Sears, Distinguished Senior Scholar of Law and Policy
The Advocate 
August 1, 2025

This week, the Office of Public Management (OPM) issued a memo urging federal agencies to “robustly protect and enforce” federal employees’ right to engage in religious expression in the workplace. This right includes efforts of employees to persuade others of the correctness of their religious views, encourage them to pray or attend religious services, and display religious items, such as crosses and religious posters, in the workplace.

While the five-page memo briefly mentions the limits on this religious expression—it can’t be harassing in nature, and employees can’t be disciplined for disagreeing or declining to participate—the memo’s major chord pushes religious expression rather than preventing discrimination and harassment.

For LGBTQ people employed by the federal government, the memo does not merely overlook discrimination; it endorses it.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) requires some health centers to report patient data through the Uniform Data System (UDS). The UDS is used to evaluate health centers’ efforts to expand access to care, address health disparities, improve quality, and reduce health care costs, particularly for underserved populations.

In June, HRSA proposed eliminating questions on patients’ sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) from the UDS to align with administration priorities.

In response, scholars from the Williams Institute submitted a public comment highlighting research on the unique barriers LGBT people face in accessing health care. They examined the population of LGBT people who rely on community health centers that report through the UDS and provided evidence-based support for maintaining SOGI data collection in federal surveys, including in administrative and clinical settings. 

Mark your calendars. On September 17, we will host cocktails and conversation at the offices of Selendy Gay in New York. The evening will feature a panel discussion on key LGBTQ rights cases decided by the Court in 2025 and what's ahead for 2026.

The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law is an academic research institute dedicated to conducting rigorous, independent research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy.