White House on Egg Roll Couple Seeking Executive Order Action: No Updates
From today’s White House press briefing, press secretary Jay Carney was asked about the couple, Jarrod Scarbrough and Les Sewell, who attended today’s White House Easter Egg Roll and hoped to ask the president to sign an executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating in employment based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
As Metro Weekly reported exclusively in March, President Obama had pledged to support such a policy as president when he was a candidate in 2008. He has taken no action as president to do so, however, and the White House, in repeated questioning from members of the LGBT media including Metro Weekly, has refused to comment on such a proposed order.
Today, a reporter from NBC News asked about the proposed order in regards to the visiting couple:
Q And on a separate note, Jay, a New Mexico same-sex couple brought their eight-year-old daughter to the White House today for the Easter Egg Roll, in part to send a message to the President that he should sign an executive order that would ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. Does he plan to sign this executive order?
MR. CARNEY: I don’t have any updates for you on possible or proposed executive orders. I would note that we’re delighted that that couple and many others were able to attend the Easter Egg Roll and — again, I don’t have anything more on the executive orders.
Q Does the President have a reaction to the fact that they’re here and that they came with a message?
MR. CARNEY: Well, they’re here because they were invited, and the President — many, many people — families of all kinds are invited to this wonderful event. And the President is delighted that they and others were able to attend.
Q But, Jay, as you know, they’ve been speaking out. They’ve been speaking to various members of the press about this issue, and looking for a reaction —
MR. CARNEY: Well, again, I don’t have anything for you on a specific executive order. What I can tell you is I think the President’s position on LGBT issues is — or record, rather, is well known and one that he and we are very proud of.
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