Obama administration officials on
Wednesday said the president wasn't likely to sign a gay protections
executive order.
Gay rights supporters had hoped Obama
would sign the memo which would ban federal contractors from
employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity.
POLITICO.com
quoted a senior administration official as saying that the order
isn't forthcoming.
“While it is not our usual practice
to discuss executive orders that may or may not be under
consideration, we do not expect that an executive order on LGBT
non-discrimination for federal contractors will be issued at this
time. We support legislation that has been introduced and we will
continue to work with congressional sponsors to build support for
it,” the official said, referring to the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) sponsored by Massachusetts Rep. Barney
Frank.
“We are deeply committed to working
hand-in-hand with the LGBT community to enlist support from key
stakeholders and other decision-makers, and to continue to engage
with and educate the business community and the public more broadly
about the importance of employment nondiscrimination and the
importance of passing ENDA.”
The decision was first announced during
a White House meeting attended by leading gay rights organizations,
gay weekly Metro
Weekly reported.
“Earlier today, we were told that the
Administration is not ready to move forward with a federal contractor
nondiscrimination executive order at this time,” Joe Solmonese,
president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), said in a statement.
“We are extremely disappointed with this decision and will continue
to advocate for an executive order from the president. The
unfortunate truth is that hard-working Americans can be fired simply
for being gay or transgender. Given the number of employees that
would be covered by this executive order, it represents a critical
step forward.”
(Related: White
House Easter Egg Roll to include gay families, politics.)