President Barack Obama is facing more
criticism over his decision to not sign a gay protections order.
Senior Obama administration officials
earlier said the order which would ban federal contractors from
employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity was not forthcoming. The order had reportedly already been
approved by the Departments of Labor and Justice.
Last
week, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) wrote to the
president urging him to reconsider. NCLR President Eric Rodriguez
said the executive order “is important to millions of Hispanic LGBT
community members.”
On Saturday, the Jerusalem
Post reported that the Reform Movement's Religious Action
Center (RAC) has joined NCLR in calling out the president on the
issue.
“The federal government is by far the
nation's largest employer and through its actions sets an example for
other employers to follow,” said RAC head Rabbi David Saperstein in
a statement. “By making clear that discrimination based on sexual
orientation is unacceptable, the government can play a
transformational role … We urge the president to reconsider this
decision and fulfill his commitment to ensuring a future in which all
Americans are treated with dignity and respect.”
The White House has explained that the
president supports such protections but would prefer a legislative
solution, saying he supported passage of the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). ENDA, however, has little chance of
passage in the Republican-controlled House.