Ahead of Wednesday's introduction of the Equality Act, Catholic League head Bill Donohue said in a press release that discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people can be justified in some instances, though he did not give any examples.

The Equality Act is a federal bill that seeks to prohibit discrimination against people who identify as LGBT.

(Related: Pete Buttigieg endorses LGBT protections bill Equality Act.)

Donohue, a vocal opponent of LGBT rights, said that the bill was flawed because it was based on the “false assumption” that sexual orientation and gender identity “are analogous to race and ethnicity, and are therefore deserving of the same protections afforded by the Civil Rights Act.”

“While no one can justify unequal treatment on the basis of ascribed characteristics such as race and ethnicity, justifying disparate treatment on the basis of achieved characteristics such as sexual orientation and gender identity can be justified in some instances,” Donohue wrote.

“If African Americans qualify for preferential treatment because of the way the Civil Rights Act has been interpreted, then there is no stopping homosexuals and the sexually confused from qualifying were the Equality Act to pass.”

“This would mean that an employer who is a practicing Catholic, evangelical Christian, observant Jew, Muslim, or Mormon, would be expected to give preferential treatment to homosexuals and the sexually confused (save for small businessmen) when hiring,” he added.

(Related: Catholic League's Bill Donohue opposes gay marriage because marriage is not about love.)