Calls for President Barack Obama to sign an executive order prohibiting federal contractors from LGBT discrimination continued today.
In a letter sent to Obama today, 110 Democratic members of the House of Representatives urged the president to sign the executive order long called for by advocates, which would ban federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Such protections already prohibit federal contractors from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex and national origin.
Led by Reps. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.), the letter sent today included an additional 38 members of Congress who did not sign their names to a similar letter sent last year.
“It is unacceptable that it remains legal to fire or refuse to hire someone based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. Federal law continues to allow this and discrimination based on sexual orientation is legal in 29 states and discrimination because of gender identity is legal in 34 states,” the letter reads. “Action at the federal level can put a stop to these unfair and discriminatory workplace practices in every state.”
Although Obama publicly supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), he has backed off of his support for an executive order after indicating as a candidate for president in 2008 that he would sign such an order. The White House has repeatedly said the president would prefer to see ENDA passed and all workers protected instead of adding proctecions only for those employed by federal contractors. Advocates, however, have argued the executive order would help build momentum for ENDA and protect at least some LGBT workers now.
While the signees state that they remain committed to passage of ENDA, which would ban LGBT workplace discrimination across the country, they argue that Obama could “take action today to help prevent these types of unfair labor practices and to lay the groundwork for passage of ENDA.”
“Our laws must match our values as Americans, which is why it is so critical to provide equal protections to all workers,” Polis, who is gay and the sponsor of ENDA in the House, said in a statement.
Added Pallone, “An executive order by the President is a necessary step forward in our efforts for LGBT equality, one that must be accompanied by passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination (ENDA) by Congress.”
The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law estimates such an executive order would protect up to 16.5 million workers. Although workplace protections for LGBT people exist in some states, it remains legal in 29 states to fire an employee based on sexual orientation, and legal in 34 states to fire someone based on gender identity.
Today’s letter was one of several that have been sent to the president in recent weeks. Last month, 37 senators and 54 progressive groups sent letters to Obama urging him to act.
The Human Rights Campaign, Freedom to Work and the American Civil Liberties Union have led efforts to pressure the president to act and praised the more than 100 representatives who lent their names to the fight for workplace protections.
“An executive order from President Obama would ensure that hundreds of thousands of LGBT federal contract employees could go to work every day without fear of being fired for who they are or who they love,” said HRC President Chad Griffin in a statement.
According to Freedom to Work President Tico Almeida, “It’s now time for President Obama to build on his impressive record and sign this executive order giving millions of Americans a fair shot to build a career based on their talent and hard work.”
UPDATE @4:15PM: The names of House Democratic leadership, including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) were missing from the letter sent today. According to spokesman Drew Hammill, Pelosi generally does not sign group letters as custom.
“President Obama has demonstrated time and time again that he is committed to ending discrimination wherever it exists,” Hammill told Metro Weekly. “Leader Pelosi supports this effort, but it does not diminish the need for a fully-inclusive ENDA law and a Majority in the House to approve such legislation.”
Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fl.), who has served as a vice chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus, also did not sign the letter.
In response to the letter, White House spokesman Shin Inouye reiterated today that the president has long supported an inclusive ENDA and his administration will continue to build support for it.
“Regarding a hypothetical Executive Order on LGBT non-discrimination for federal contractors, I have no updates for you on that issue,” Inouye said.
[Photo: Barack Obama in the Oval Office (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)]
Col. Bree Fram, a former Space Force officer forced to retire under the Trump administration's ban on transgender service members, has launched a campaign to represent Virginia in Congress, raising more than $102,000 in her first 24 hours as an official candidate.
An engineer by trade, Fram served 23 years in the military, including deployments to Iraq and Qatar with the U.S. Air Force during the Iraq War. She later became an officer in the U.S. Space Force and, in 2024, became the first transgender service member promoted to the rank of colonel. She was also named to Out magazine’s "Out 100" list of influential LGBTQ people that year.
Five major LGBTQ groups have endorsed California State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) in his bid for California's 11th Congressional District, currently represented by House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who announced her retirement last month.
Among the organizations backing Wiener are The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ advocacy organization; Equality California, the state's largest LGBTQ advocacy organization; Equality PAC, the political arm of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus; the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, which works to increase LGBTQ political representation; and the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus.
A new report finds that acceptance of LGBTQ people is declining across the United States, with nearly three in ten LGBTQ adults saying attitudes toward their community have worsened.
On Thursday, January 15, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation released findings from its Annual LGBTQ+ Community Survey, which drew responses from nearly 15,000 U.S. adults -- roughly two-thirds of whom identified as LGBTQ.
In addition to the survey, HRC last year launched its "American Dreams Tour," traveling to 10 cities and engaging more than 5,000 people through town halls, trainings, and community meetings with local LGBTQ leaders and activists. Those on-the-ground conversations informed the report, which aims to assess the state of LGBTQ life in the United States one year into the second Trump administration.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
In a letter sent to Obama today, 110 Democratic members of the House of Representatives urged the president to sign the executive order long called for by advocates, which would ban federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Such protections already prohibit federal contractors from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex and national origin.
