Obama
Won’t Order Ban on Gay Bias by Employers
Published: April 11, 2012 - New York Times
WASHINGTON — President
Obama disappointed and vexed gay supporters on Wednesday with his decision,
conveyed to activists by a senior adviser, not to sign an executive order
banning discrimination by employers with federal contracts.
The executive order, which activists said had support
from the Labor and Justice Departments, would have applied to gay, bisexual and
transgender people working for or seeking employment from federal contractors.
Current law does not protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation
or gender identity, and legislation to do so, which Mr. Obama endorses, lacks
sufficient votes in Congress.
“While it is not our usual practice to discuss
executive orders that may or may not be under consideration, we do not expect
that an executive order on L.G.B.T. nondiscrimination for federal contractors
will be issued at this time,” said an administration official who would speak
about the controversy only if provided anonymity. “We support legislation that
has been introduced and we will continue to work with Congressional sponsors to
build support for it.”
That stance departs from the White House’s prominent
“we can’t wait” campaign: Since last fall, Mr. Obama has signed executive orders
on a variety of issues, arguing that “we can’t wait” for legislation that
Republicans in Congress refuse to let pass.
By not acting on the employment nondiscrimination
order, Mr. Obama has newly angered a gay constituency that has been a source of
campaign cash and that had been willing to overlook his failure so far to
endorse same-sex
marriage, given his actions on its other priorities, like repeal of the
military’s “don’t
ask, don’t tell” policy against openly gay service members.
Joe Solmonese, the president of the Human Rights
Campaign and one of the gay-rights activists who attended a White House meeting
on Wednesday called by Valerie Jarrett, one of Mr. Obama’s closest advisers,
said afterward: “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.”
Winnie Stachelberg, another attendee and executive
vice president at the liberal Center for American Progress, issued
a statement expressing disappointment and citing studies “that gay and
transgender people face disproportionately high rates of discrimination in the
workplace.”
An administration spokesman, Shin Inouye, said in an
e-mail, “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.”