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WASHINGTON — The White House has categorically denied requests from LGBT advocates to issue an executive order protecting LGBT people against workplace discrimination at this time, according to individuals who took part in a White House meeting on Wednesday. The denial was corroborated by a senior administrative official.
In a statement to the Washington Blade, Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign and among the attendees, said advocates were told the administration won’t take action to bar federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT workers.
“Earlier today, we were told that the administration is not ready to move forward with a federal contractor nondiscrimination executive order at this time,” Solmonese said. “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.”
Solmonese continued that extensive research and polling has been done demonstrating that the executive order would be a useful tool and would enjoy broad support.
“Ten years of HRC’s Corporate Equality Index, as well as the research of our partner organizations to include the Center for American Progress and the Williams Institute, demonstrate that there is ample rationale for this kind of order,” Solmonese said. “No similar executive order has ever had this kind of extensive research or factual basis established. While we believe that further study is unnecessary, we will continue to engage with the Administration to ensure that the case is made even stronger for workplace protections.”
Shin Inouye, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement on the meeting that Obama remains committed to legislation that would bar workplace discrimination against LGBT people known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
“The president is dedicated to securing equal rights for LGBT Americans and that is why he has long supported an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prohibit employers across the country from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity,” Inouye said. “The president is committed to lasting and comprehensive change and therefore our goal is passage of ENDA, which is a legislative solution to LGBT employment discrimination – just as the president pressed for legislative repeal of ['Don't Ask, Don't Tell'].”
A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said the administration doesn’t expect to issue an executive order on LGBT non-discrimination for federal contractors will be issued at this time.
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=O meanies
He’s with us … just let him get re-elected first.
best to wait till after the re-election.
yeah, because discrimination isn’t already illegal in the first place. -__- Idiots.
I’d like to think this is so that it can go to the Supreme Court and be taken off the books definitively… otherwise it would still exist, it just wouldn’t be enforced…
would you rather have a republican in office stop wining
I think the simplicity of meanies actually does cover it. This is sad :(
well i had a incodent a few months ago, and the police did nothing about it because im gay AND they refused to give me a copy of the police report too. so yeah gov h8′s gays
Then Iets fight harder !
i agree with donna.
where is the dislike button!
Duh, we take millions of dollars in donations from gays and then we get a great meeting with the white house and we take that opportunity not to push the white house on rights for EVERYBODY but for LGBT ppl who are contractors for the federal governmenet. WTF? screwy…….
What?
To those who say let him get reelected first… He supported civil unions 4 years ago and we don’t have them. I’m not going to give him a vote in hopes that he’ll do the right thing. To those that say would you rather have a republican… if he and they are against us then what difference does it make. Either President Obama doesn’t support the GLBT Nation or he has no balls. Period.
the government really bothers me. why are they like that? i’m sure there’s some of them that are gay themselves. but they dont have enough pride to come out.things really need to be changed.
Neither the Repugnicans or the Democrats are for our rights.
What has any other President done for gays in the past? Name one. No, I don’t like this either but, as an African American…just how long did WE have to wait for equality? Oh…wait, there is that Trayvon thing going on….
Would I rather have a Republican? — “If it walks like a Republican, talks like a Republican–ACTS like a Republican—WHAT is the difference?
@ Kyle Bruinsma: Dude, learn to spell….I took me a second or two (actually rereading your comment) to understand what you meant by incodent (incident). FFS at least use the spell check.
kyle…if they actually wrote a police report then they cant refuse to give you a copy. you may have to pay a couple of bucks but it should be on file at the courthouse. no officer will give you a copy of their police report on the scene. check into it, you should be able to get one.
Democrats are moreso. Republicans are the ones that want an AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION that defines marriage as one man and one woman… this coming from one of the only developed nations without equality of the sexes in their constitution or amendments… Just wait til Obama gets reelected.
Let him get re-elected. He’s the far lesser of two evils. Think of some of the people who ran for the Republican bid. He may not be doing as much as he can, but at least he’s not lobbying for conversion therapy or speaking out against the community. DADT was repealed, gay marriage in NY. Though it might not be as rapid as we want it to be, progress is being made
Dik, so you would vote for a Republican with whom you would have NO chance of gaining any rights, AND who would try to take away what gains we have made? At least with Obama we have achieved a lot and will achieve much more.
Jeffery Howard, last I checked African Americans have had the right to marry and been protected by hate crime laws for quite some time now.
I’m not arguing that racism doesn’t exist and hate crimes don’t still happen, but using it as an excuse for it to be acceptable that the federal government to oppress others is disgraceful.
We want Obama re-elected so it would make no sense for him to doom himselft before the election. We have waited this long we can wait a little while longer.
@Ashley Cohea…yes, as of ??? regarding “hate crime laws”. Have you been under a rock for the past few months? All I’m stating is that like EVERYTHING else worth fighting for in this country, it has taken time. The “government” has and continues to be the so-called oppressors. I know you just hate it when the “blacks” throw up their “stuff” dontcha Ash???
WOW!!!! We need gay leadership
time to vote green. Dr. Jill Stein will sign it.
How many must die, how many must be bullied, how many must be hurt over and over again. Mr. Obama please give us a NUMBER so we can reach it as soon as possible so that then you will have no more excuses to sit on your boney ass and do nothing. You might as well join the GOP for all the good you’ve done for this country.
Take a Xanax, Jeffery. I simply hate it when I see one person who suffers from oppression trying to keep another down because they’re not the ‘right kind’ of minority. Sorry, but 2 wrongs don’t make a right.
Do African Americans still suffer from bigotry and oppression? Absolutely. Is it despicable and wrong? Without question. Do they still have more legal rights and protections than LGBTQ individuals? Sorry, ‘fraid so. That’s just a fact.
All I’m saying is that if someone had told the Civil Rights movement that the Hebrews had to wait centuries to be free of the oppression of the Egyptians, so really African Americans needed to be more patient, it wouldn’t have flown. Same thing here.
Sorry Ashley YOUR kind of simplistic logic doesn’t fly here either. You want to talk about YOUR oppression and let that be it. Oppression doesn’t just strike one group. If you don’t like hearing about the oppression of others….ignore my postings…simple as that. I wasn’t “weighing” who is more oppressed. Just simply stating that it’s everywhere. We’re getting off track. I think we BOTH are arguing the same point. Why don’t we both take a Xanax huh??
I can’t believe that it is 2012 and this is still an issue. Just sad. I am highly disappointed.
Oh that’s right: it’s an election year… Fuck politics.
Tougher hate crime laws, hospital visitation, Repealed Dont Ask Dont Tell, Quit saying this President hasn’t done ANYTHING for our community! thats BS!
what a croc of shit im sure if only we were str8 it be a whole dif sory well that’s what we get for livin in america
Someones not getting my vote..seen this before..
Rest Assured Democrats are on the glbt side, republicans don’t give a shit
They just don’t get it.
Well, who would you rather vote for? Romney is against gay rights, and Ron Paul is against gay rights, but would leave it up to the states. I believe that Obama is more accepting of the LGBT community in general. Obama isn’t as bad as people seem to think he is. They say he didn’t keep his promises, but he’s done a lot more for all U.S. citizens than people realize. The fact of the matter is, even if he doesn’t outwardly support ENDA right now, he isn’t AGAINST us like everyone else. I think you all need to read up a bit more on what Obama has done for us.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/obama.3cdn.net/865d88de8f7ba39295_gl52mv8fg.pdf
Rome wasn’t built in a day, you guys. We aren’t going to get equal rights overnight, but thanks to Obama, we ARE moving forward.
Disappointing.
You assume too much, Jeffery. I’m not actually LGBTQ. I’m an ally. So, no, if I wanted to talk about MY kind of oppression, we’d be discussing the current war on women and crimes against Native Americans.
But I’ll agree to disagree and have than Xanax now. Have a good evening!
Interesting comments here. So as a gay man, I should always vote democrat because dems are pro gay rights and by doing so, I am helping my fellow gay Americans. But wait, what about all the other issues? Granted, this dem pres took on a mess left to him by the last rep pres who got his mess from the dem pres before him who got his mess from the rep pres before him who got his mess from the rep pres before him….stop….wait, that was my hero Ronny, he is my eyes, can do no wrong! Anyway, anyone see the pattern? No one pres is to blame for all the mess, we all are as Americans, gay, straight, black, white, brown, red and green (hide green guys, no ones ready for you yet!) Really folks, when we as Americans decide to make things happen and are ready for the hard choices and the hard times that we will have to go through to fix everything, then this nation will be back on track. Honestly, is this whole gay issue so damn important right now? We’re paying 4 bucks a gallon for gas, unemployment hangs round the 9% mark, we have spent millions bailing out banks and auto companies (thanks God, those companies have re-paid that debt—-or that is whatwe have been told anyway!) Yeah, as a gay republican American, I would like the same protections afforded to mainstream society but really, vote for a guy because his party has stated that they are progay, or because he is not on old white guy, or perhaps you vote the same way your daddy voted when he was alive…..afterall, if it was good enough for him, it’s good enough for you….right? WAKE UP PEOPLE! This country is all about the people and bottom line, we the people have taken the stand to do NOTHING then bitch and whine about how bad things are. Want bad? Try another country, hell try the one just to the south of us and see how long ya like all that.We do live in the best country on earth and I am very proud to be an American. If things are screwed up, it’s becasue we let it get that way by sitting on our asses for way to long and reaping all the benifits of being American while not bothering to give something back. We are lazy and we expect everything to be at our disposal when we want it. Again I say, WAKE UP!
(and yeah, I may have gotten a little off topic….sorry bout that)
:O
http://www.barackobama.com/record/economy?source=primary-nav
You should also consider the alternatives… Romney continues to blatantly lie about President Obama, is against planned parenthood, and constantly flip-flops on issues for political gain; and Ron Paul wants to get rid of government programs that protect us.
I wont be voting for Barack Obamney nor Mitt Robama. They both suck, I’ll vote Libertarian, Green or even for Rocky Anderson. But I wont throw my vote away for Obamney and watch him do nothing for four more years, while naïve idiot supporters tell me that I should wait until his 3rd or 4th term. Barack had a democratic super-majority from 2008 to 2010, he could have passed ENDA then with bi-partisan support, but he choose NOT to. He still OPPOSES marriage equality, he opposes it as much as Mitt does. There is no difference between Robama and Obamney, to me they are the same candidate.
There’s more to the election than just LGBT rights…
Wow… No words can describe such fury…