In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision against the Obama Administration's birth control mandate last week, religious employers are now asking for another exemption - this time to protect them from being forced to either hire LGBT personnel or lose government funding.

The Atlantic is reporting on a new initiative taken by faith-based leaders which asks the Obama administration to include a religious exemption in an upcoming executive order that will punish all federal contractors  who don't hire LGBT persons by denying them contracts. The order will essentially enact a portion of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which has stalled in Congress.

The Obama administration announced last week that it intends to issue this executive order, which has long been sought by homosexual activist groups,but the text of the order has not yet been revealed.

Because many faith based organizations partner with the government to provide essential services to the poor, this mandate poses a serious problem for those whose beliefs do not espouse alternative sexualities. For this reason, leaders such as  Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California,  Larry Snyder, CEO of Catholic Charities USA and Michael Wear, Obama’s 2012 National Faith Vote Director have joined together in sending a letter to the president requesting that a religious exemption be included in the order.

"We are asking that an extension of protection for one group not come at the expense of faith communities whose religious identity and beliefs motivate them to serve those in need," the letter states.

Last week's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the religious freedom rights of a corporation who was being forced to fund abortifacients which violate the tenets of its faith was very much the impetus behind the press for this new exemption.

"This is not an antagonistic letter by any means," Wear told the Atlantic. But, in the wake of the Hobby Lobby decision, "the administration does have a decision to make whether they want to recalibrate their approach to some of these issues."

There is certainly more reason now than ever for the White House to rethink the way it weighs the religious rights of Americans against other priorities, and this letter may be a bellwether of the kind of battles that will come as a result of the Hobby Lobby victory.

"Without a robust religious exemption … this expansion of hiring rights will come at an unreasonable cost to the common good, national unity, and religious freedom," the letter states.

Government and religious organizations have worked together since the birth of this nation, but without this exemption, "religious organizations will lose financial funding that allows them to serve others in the national interest due to their organization identity."

But it's not just about the money, the letter states.

"While the nation has undergone incredible social and legal change in the last decade, we still live in a nation with different beliefs about sexuality. We must find a way to respect diversity of opinion on this issue in a way that respects the dignity of all parties to the best of our ability. There is no perfect solution that will make all parties happy."

The letter concludes by reminding the president that during his initial campaign for president, he said that his Christian faith was the reason why he could not endorse same-sex marriage, but yet he still felt capable of serving all Americans.

"Similarly, some faith-based organizations' religious identity requires that their employees share that identity. We still believe those organizations can serve their country, all Americans, in partnership with their government and as welcome members of the American family."

To date, there has been no response to the letter, nor has the White House indicated when it will reveal the contents of the executive order.

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