Barack Obama has made the surprise announcement that he will sign an executive order protecting all federal workers from gender identity discrimination. The revelation came at a White House reception celebrating Pride. While an Employment Non-Discrimination Act has passed in the Senate, it has been stalled in the House of Representatives, and Obama says if Congress won’t act, then he will. “I have directed my staff to prepare an executive order for my signature that prohibits discrimination by federal contractors on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. And I’ve asked my staff to prepare a second executive order so that federal employees - who are already protected on the basis of sexual orientation - will now formally be protected from discrimination based on gender identity as well.” Obama says there are laws that say Americans can’t be fired on the basis of the colour of their skin or their religion, or because they have a disability. “But every day, millions of Americans go to work worried that they could lose their job – not because of anything they’ve done but because of who they are. It’s upsetting. It is wrong.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 2nd July 2014 - 9:12am