Civil and Human Rights Coalition Applauds Executive Action Banning LGBT Discrimination by Federal Contractors, Calls on House to Pass ENDA

Washington, D.C. – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the announcement of President Obama’s intention to sign an executive order that would ban employment discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees of federal contractors:

“We applaud President Obama’s decision to sign an executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The signing of the order will be a watershed moment in the fight for civil and human rights for the LGBT community.

The right to work free from discrimination and harassment is a fundamental human right. Right now, lesbian, gay and bisexual employees in 29 states, and transgender employees in 32 states, are working without the security of federal protections against employment discrimination.

It is time for the United States to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace. The president’s executive order will move us one step closer to living up to our nation’s highest ideals.

But we must do more. We call on the House of Representatives to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which the Senate has already passed, and end legally sanctioned discrimination in the workplace.”

Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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