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Image: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
After six years in office, President Obama finally delivers on his promise to end workplace discrimination against LGBT+ people.
Today, 21 July 2014, President Obama signed an executive order that made it illegal for businesses to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, as well as on the basis of gender identity.
According to the Fact Sheet released by the White House Press, in conjunction with Obama’s signature:
‘Executive Order 11246, [was] issued by President Lyndon B. Johnson, [which] prohibited federal contractors from discriminating “against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” President Obama’s Executive Order will add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected categories.’
The White House Press also states that Obama’s order ‘governs only federal contractors and federally-assisted construction contractors and subcontractors who do over $10,000 in Government business in one year. It does not affect grants and President Obama’s Executive Order does not impact the administration of federal grants’ (2014).
The United States of America has finally joined the ranks of those countries who have realised the importance of ending workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
More information concerning Obama’s Executive Order can be found here.
Thank you, President Obama, and those who have worked on advocating for this important historical amendment in the United States of America.
