BIG NEWS: Obama to Sign Executive Order Extending LGBT Workplace Protections

Big, great news from the AP:

President Barack Obama plans to sign an executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against employees on the basis of their sexual orientation, a White House official said Monday.

The move follows years of pressure from gay rights groups for Obama to act on his own while a broader employment non-discrimination measure languishes on Capitol Hill. The Senate passed the legislation last year but the bill stalled in the Republican-led House and there is little sign that lawmakers will take it up in an election year.

There is currently no federal law that explicitly bans workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. While Obama does not have the authority to extend that protection to all Americans, he can take unilateral action that impacts federal contractors, which make up nearly one-quarter of the U.S. workforce.

This is fantastic news for federal employees across the land, but Pennsylvania is still lagging on protecting employees in all other worksplaces. Click here to sign Equality PA’s petition urging lawmakers to pass HB 300/SB 300, two pieces of legislation that would protect LGBT Pennsylvanians from being fired based on their sexual orientation — whether they’re working government jobs or not.