President Barack Obama is being urged
to sign an executive order which would ban federal contractors from
employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity.
A group of 72 lawmakers led by New
Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone on Tuesday sent a letter to the
president urging him to act.
The order, the lawmakers said, was
vital to ensure that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees
“receive the same protections and opportunities as all other
Americans.”
“In 1965, President Johnson
established Executive Order 11246 prohibiting federal contractors
from discriminating against employees based on race, color, religion,
sex or national origin.”
“The opportunity to expand
protections against workplace discrimination to members of the LGBT
community is a critical step that you can take today, especially when
data and research tell us that 43 percent of LGBT people and 90
percent of transgender people have experienced workplace
discrimination.”
The lawmakers noted that a majority of
American companies say such protection helps “attract the best
talent, reduce employee turnover, and overall is a plus to their
bottom lines.”
The House's four openly gay members –
Representatives Barney Frank of Massachusetts, Jared Polis of
Colorado, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and David Cicilline of Rhode
Island – were among the lawmakers who signed the letter.
A
poll released last week showed an overwhelming majority (73%) of
likely voters support such an order.