The Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) announced today that adoption agencies will be allowed to discriminate against LGBT+ people.

Ironically, the rule change was announced on the first day of National Adoption Month (November 1).

The rule change, effective immediately, means that any health programmes that receive federal grants from the HSS will no longer have to abide by nondiscrimination guidelines protecting LGBT+ people, all in the name of “religious freedom”.

According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, the change will allow discrimination against LGBT+ people “in HIV and STI prevention programs, opioid programs, youth homelessness services, health professional training, substance use recovery programs, and many other life-saving services.”

But adoption and fostering services also come under the HSS department if they are funded by the government, meaning faith-based agencies will be able to refuse to place children with families based on sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status.