Tag Archives: LGBT Federal Contractor Anti-Discrimination Executive Order

House Democrats Succeed in Reversing Anti-LGBT Attack On Rights for Federal Contractors

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LGBT politics

After a strong pushback by Democrats  the GOP controlled House of Representatives reversed itself late Wednesday and approved a measure aimed at upholding an executive order that bars discrimination against LGBT employees by federal contractors.

More than 40 Republicans helped Democrats power the gay rights measure over the opposition of GOP conservatives who dominate the chamber.

Conservatives did prevail in a separate vote designed to make sure federal funding isn’t taken away from the state of North Carolina over its controversial bathroom law for transgender people.

Wednesday night’s 223-195 tally reverses a vote last week on the gay rights measure. Then, GOP leaders twisted arms to defeat the legislation, causing several supporters to switch their vote, leading Democrats to erupt in protest.

Openly gay and fierce LGBT advocate New York Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney returned to attach the measure to a funding bill for the Energy Department.

This time, GOP leaders let members vote as they wished; about a dozen Republicans, including several from California, rethought their opposition and Maloney’s amendment made it through fairly easily.

It would prohibit agencies funded by the bill to award taxpayer dollars to federal contractors that violate President Barack Obama’s executive order barring discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

“It says you do not take taxpayer dollars and fire people just for being gay,” Maloney said.

Maloney said last week’s vote “snatched discrimination from the jaws of equality.”

Earlier, the House voted 227-192 to block several federal agencies from retaliating against North Carolina over its law requiring transgender people to use the bathroom of their original sex.

That amendment, by Robert Pittenger, R-N.C., came in response to warnings from the Obama administration that it may take federal funding away from North Carolina in response to the state law that blocks certain protections for gay people.

“The President and his emissaries have stated … that funds should not be dispensed to North Carolina until North Carolina is coerced into complying with the legal beliefs of the President, and his political views,” Pittenger said. “This is an egregious abuse of executive power.”

The North Carolina law was passed after Charlotte passed an ordinance allowing transgender people to use restrooms of their chosen gender identity. The state law went further to take away federal protections for gays, putting the state at risk of losing a variety of federal funds.

Top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California blasted Republicans as favoring discrimination against gays.

“Republicans overwhelmingly voted to support … the hateful and discriminatory state law in North Carolina, and to enable anti-LGBT bigotry across our country,” Pelosi said in a statement. “History will not look kindly on the votes Republicans proudly took to target Americans because of whom they are or whom they love.”

 

UPDATE: Obama To Sign Amended Exec Order 11246 With Bush Era Religious Exemptions Intact

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exec orderUPDATE:

It turns out that there is more to the earlier story that has been reported as President Obama will not be signing a NEW Executive Order protecting LGBT  federal contractors from discrimination but amending the previous Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex and will not remove President George W. Bush’s amendment to EO 11246,  whick would still allow religious-affiliated federal contractors (charities) to discriminate on the basis of religion,

The White House believes the executive actions protect LGBT workers and the interests of religious-affiliated employers, officials said.

In other words, gay people still won’t be protected against the most common reason for discrimination and our “fierce” leader is still really not that “fierce” 

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Today the White House has announced that President Barack Obama will sign executive order on Monday that will prohibits federal contractors from discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees and job seekers WITHOUT a religious exemption that would allow LGBT discrimination continue under the guise of so called “religious beliefs”. Heather Cronk, GetEQUAL director, issued the following statement:

“We’re so proud today of the decision made by the Obama Administration to resist the calls by a small number of right-wing conservatives to insert religious exemptions into civil rights protections. While we will continue to press for full equality under the law for LGBTQ Americans, we’re thrilled with the announcement today and look forward to President Obama signing his name to an executive order on Monday that we can all be proud of.” For weeks, GetEQUAL — a national social justice organization that advocates for full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Americans — has pressured the Obama Administration to take this action without including religious exemptions in order to avoid creating a dangerous precedent not only for the LGBTQ community, but for women, immigrants, young people, and many others.”

Prepare for the right-wing bigot super meltdown in 5…. 4….. 3….. 2…….

Tico Almeida: “They Didn’t Give Us One Valid Reason Why The LGBT Anti-Discrimination Executive Order Shouldn’t Be Signed”

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Tico Almeida, the founder and president of Freedom to Work and the man behind pshing the LGBT Federal Contrator Anti-Discrimination Executive Order bluntly recounts the meeting with White House’s senior staff (Obama of course skipped the meeting by the way) when LGBT leaders were told flat out that Obama would not sign the EO.