President Set to Sign Historic Order Banning LGBT Discrimination

Close to one quarter of the workforce in the country is made up of federal workers.

President Barack Obama is set to sign an executive order that will ban government contractors from discriminating employees base on sexual orientation or gender identity. Photo Courtesy: frontpagemag.com

(NEW YORK) - President Barack Obama is set to sign an executive order that will ban government contractors from discriminating employees base on sexual orientation or gender identity.

The order would build on existing workers’ protections, which prohibit federal contractors and subcontractors from showing prejudices on employees base on their sex, religion, race, color, or national origin.

The announcement was made a day before the President is set to attend the Democratic National Committee’s annual gay and lesbian gala fundraiser in New York. Obama has been previously pushed by fundraisers to widen the discrimination protections to government employees.

LGBT activists praised the President's decision.

Chad Griffin, gay rights group Human Rights Campaign president, said Obama will not only create fair workplaces across the country by signing the order, but he will show to Congress that approving federal employment protections for LGBT workers is a good policy that will also be good for business.

“Following on his pledge for this to be a year of action to expand opportunity for all Americans, the President has directed his staff to prepare for his signature an Executive Order that prohibits federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity,” a White House official told NBC News.

The Democratic controlled U.S. Senate has passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act but it has been sitting in Republican controlled House of Representatives.

Source: NBC News/techsonia.com