With the strokes of a pen, Obama will have very real and immediate impact on lives of LGBT people

[bigtree]

HRC Statement on the LGBT Executive Order to be Signed Monday:

July 18, 2014 by Charlie Joughin – hrc.org

Following the news that President Obama will sign an executive order Monday outlawing anti-LGBT discrimination among federal contractors and federal employees, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Chad Griffin issued the following statement:

“With the strokes of a pen, the President will have a very real and immediate impact on the lives of millions of LGBT people across the country. Each and every American worker should be judged based on the work they do, and never because of a fundamental aspect of who they are – like their sexual orientation or gender identity. These actions from the President have the potential to be a keystone in the arch of his administration’s progress, and they send a powerful message to future administrations and to Congress that anti-LGBT discrimination must not be tolerated. We also call on Congress to immediately pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.”

draft of the executive order, as of July 15:

EXECUTIVE ORDER
Further Amendments to Executive Order 11478, Equal Employment Opportunity in the Federal Government, and Executive Order 11246, Equal Employment Opportunity

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, 40 U.S.C. 101 et seq., and in order to provide for a uniform policy for the Federal Government to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and take further steps to promote economy and efficiency in Federal Government procurement by prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Amending Executive Order 11478.
Executive Order 11478, as amended, is hereby further amended as follows:
(a) The first sentence of section 1 is amended by substituting “sexual orientation, gender identity,” for “sexual orientation”.
(b) The first sentence of section 7 is amended by substituting “sexual orientation, gender identity,” for “sexual orientation”.

Sec. 2. Amending Executive Order 11246.
Executive Order 11246, as amended, is hereby further amended as follows:
(a) The first sentence of Section 202, paragraph (1) is amended by substituting “sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin” for “sex, or national origin”.
(b) The second sentence of Section 202, paragraph (1) is amended by substituting “sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin” for “sex, or national origin”.
( c ) The first sentence of Section 202, paragraph (2) is amended by substituting “sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin” for “sex, or national origin”.
(d) The first sentence of Section 203, paragraph (d) is amended by substituting “sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin” for “sex, or national origin”.

Section 3. General Provisions.
(a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an agency or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

2009 -

Oct 28 – President Obama signed The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known as the Matthew Shepard Act, is an American Act of Congress
2010 -
President Obama authorizes the US State Department to provide assistance to LGBT defenders and advocates through the US Embassies abroad
2012 -
May 9 - Barack Obama became the first U.S. president to publicly announced support for same-sex marriage

2013 -

Feb. 22 - President Obama administration urges U.S. Supreme Court to strike down DOMA
Jun. 26 – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the US will give visa applications of gay and lesbian spouses in the same manner as heterosexual couples
Jun. 28- US Office of Personnel Management extends federal rights and benefits to married gay and lesbian federal employees and their families
Jul. 12 - The Social Security Administration announced that it would begin accepting benefit claims related to same-sex marriage
Aug. 2 – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Announcemens on Visa Changes for Same-Sex Couples
Aug. 14 - DOD Announces Same-Sex Spouse Benefits
Aug. 29 – Treasury and IRS Announce That All Legal Same-Sex Marriages Will Be Recognized For Federal Tax Purposes, Social Security Announces the Processing of claims for same-sex couples
Sept. 23 - First WH Bi Conference
Sept. 24 – Pres Obama’s nominee Todd Hughes, become the nation’s first openly gay federal appeals judge
Oct. 31 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel directed the chief of the National Guard Bureau to meet with the adjutants general of nine [of the remaining] states [not in compliance] to resolve the issue of those states denying ID cards to same-sex spouses at National Guard facilities

2014 –

Jan. 10 - Attorney General Eric Holder recognizes the marriages of more than 1,000 same-sex couples in Utah that took place before the Supreme Court put those unions on hold
Mar 14 – President Obama’s Judge Staci Michelle Yandle, an openly gay African-American woman, to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
Jun 19 – President Obama’s nominee Judith Ellen Levy was confirmed by the Senate as the first openly lesbian federal judge in Michigan
Jun 19 – President Obama’s nominee Darrin P. Gayles becomes the first black, openly gay male judge was appointed to District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
Jun 20 – President Obama announces a rule that makes legally married same-sex couples eligible for benefits under the Family and Medical Leave Act in all 50 states

Jun 24 – White House Global Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Human Rights Forum

Jul 21 - President Obama will sign an executive order Monday outlawing anti-LGBT discrimination among federal contractors and federal employees . . .

[Cha]

1. Looking forward to tomorrow.. mahalo bigtree~

[bigtree]

3. overdue, Cha

. . . tomorrow!

[Cha]

5. Manana!

[sheshe2]

2. KnR!

Groundbreaking!

Thank you Mr President.

[bigtree]

4. yes, sheshe2, groundbreaking!

. . . this is how presidents lead the nation.

[sheshe2]

8. The advancement of LGBT and their equality, their blessed right to love freely

has exploded under this President. Equality. It's on the fast track and I could not be more pleased.

My only wish is that women too could finally have some gains. Sadly we continue to be held in place or pushed back by a misogynistic GOP. I don't understand why they hate us so.


Yet to progress yes we can and yes we have bigtree.

[Zorra]

6. President Obama will be honored in history as one of the "Civil Rights Presidents",

along with Lincoln, Kennedy and Johnson.

Thank you, Mr. President.

[bigtree]

9. kick

[Swede Atlanta]

10. I'm glad he did this but isn't this a bit late?

ENDA has been pending in Congress for most of the last decade. We know that Republicans use it is a toy to keep their base happy. We certainly can't have gays having equal rights and protections now when what they do in bed is so "gross".......

Given that ENDA had no likelihood of passage in Congress, President Obama should have taken this action sooner.

What is needed is passage of ENDA because this EO only applies to companies doing business with the federal government and only survives his presidency in that it can easily be rescinded by the next President.

Don't get me wrong..I am glad to see he did this and that he is not giving religious groups an "out" when it comes to protecting the rights of LGBT persons. I just wish he had done it sooner.

[IronLionZion]

20. Elect more dems to congress nt

[riqster]

11. Bless him for doing the right thing, especially since there are legions who won't give him credit.

It takes a real public servant to take care of a populace containing elements that despise him, boo him, or (as with one post on this thread already ) damn him with faint praise. Most people would have responded to such treatment by saying "fuck it". Not the Prexy, he just keeps on working.

President Obama is a very good man in a thankless job. Good on him!

[William769]

12. Kick & recommended.

[Initech]

13. Now that's the Obama I voted for!

[LynneSin]

14. The law should be simple - if a company wants to discriminate against ANYONE including LGBT...

then they should not be allowed to have federal contracts.

This should include any company that refuses to give their female employees access to free birth control pill!

[samsingh]

15. kick

[blkmusclmachine]

16. 6 years of foot dragging on GLBT issues, & that horrendous DOJ Brief Obama filed in 09 defaming GLBT

Americans.

We don't forget.

[bigtree]

17. no one is asking you to hoist him up on your shoulders

. . . but it doesn't hurt to acknowledge the progress. I think it actually helps to make note of progress; and it doesn't hurt to show these politicians that we appreciate it, either. Of course, you'll do as you will. Nothing wrong with criticism, either.

[IronLionZion]

21. Always focus on the negative

always!

[Bluenorthwest]

23. Your comment about 'electing more Democrats to Congress' was misinformed.

That's the sort of thing that gets my goat in these threads. ENDA itself has been rejected by every Congress but one since 1994, including Democratic majorities. An earlier version was rejected by every Congress since 1974. 40 years they did not pass this legislation.
If simply electing Democrats passed this bill, it would have passed when Bela Abzug was still alive, she and Ed Koch were the first co sponsors of the Equality Act. 1974. 40 years of not passing Congress, no matter who held what gavel.

[IronLionZion]

24. The national view on this issue has changed a lot in recent years

have you not seen it? My state has legalized gay marriage, I voted for it. Things will be better on many issues with more dems in office.

[bigtree]

18. from Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office

VICTORY! A Historic Day for LGBT Equality



“Many of you have worked for a long time to see this day coming. You organized, you spoke up, you signed petitions, you sent letters -- I know because I got a lot of them.”

If you’ve ever questioned whether it matters to add your voice to debates about the important civil liberties issues of the day, President Obama’s words from earlier today provide a clear answer. Laura Murphy, director of the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office, and I were two of the guests on hand this morning to witness President Obama’s signing of an historic executive order to protect LGBT people from workplace discrimination.

The ACLU and our hundreds of thousands of members and activists across the country helped to make this day possible. Together with our partners at All Out, 81,693 people signed a petition urging to President Obama to sign this executive order without an exemption for religiously affiliated contractors.

Had such an exemption been included in the executive order, it would have enabled taxpayer-funded employment discrimination against LGBT people. Thankfully, President Obama – at your urging – stood strong on the side of basic fairness and equal treatment for LGBT people by rejecting calls for such an exemption.

It goes without saying that we still have much work to do to achieve the goal of full civil rights protections for LGBT people. It’s important, however, to take time to celebrate the significant landmarks along the way. Today was such a day. Thank you for helping to make it possible.



signed executive order

[Cha]

19. And, here it is.. Pen stroke..

:large
Jesse Lee ✔ @jesseclee44
Follow
Obama signs EO expanding LGBT workplace protections -- Congress needs to finish the job...
4:48 AM - 21 Jul 2014 90 Retweets 61 favorites

:large" target="_blank">TOD

[Bluenorthwest]

22. Perspective for self congratulatory straights: ENDA has been rejected by every Congress but one

since 1994, that's 20 years of failure to pass. Earlier and stronger versions of the bill have been soundly defeated in the United Straights Congress since 1974 when Representatives Ed Koch and Bela Abzub first introduced the Equality Act. That was 40 years ago.
29 States still allow openly stated discrimination against LGBT people in employment and in housing. The current step forward is a nice thing, but only needed because Straight Americans are so willing to accept continued bigotry and discrimination against their neighbors.
Every shred of rights we have was won by us, the hard way, by fighting with straight bigots for decades on end.
Now continue telling yourselves how great you are. 40 years of NO.