Almost 200 members of Congress urge Obama to sign an order banning LGBT discrimination by federal contractors
ALLY | Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson was among the first to sign a letter to President Barack Obama, encouraging him to ban employment discrimination for federal contractors. (David Taffet/Dallas Voice)
Members of Congress including Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas are calling on President Barack Obama to sign an employment nondiscrimination executive order as part of his “Year of Action.”
In his State of the Union address, Obama pledged to enact his policy goals without Congress by issuing executive orders.
Johnson’s office sent Dallas Voice a copy of a letter written by the LGBT caucus circulating on Capitol Hill asking the president to forbid discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. An executive order would ban contractors from receiving federal government contracts unless they have a nondiscrimination policy in place.
The current version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act working its way through Congress would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identify among any employer with 15 or more employees. ENDA passed the Senate on Nov. 7 with a bipartisan 64–32 vote. First introduced in 1994, a similar bill passed the House in 2007, but to become law, the 2013 Senate version must pass the House by the end of this session.
The letter asks the president to sign the executive order as ENDA works its way through Congress with strong bipartisan support.
“We urge you to take action now to protect millions of workers across the country from the threat of discrimination simply because of who they are or who they love,” they wrote in the letter.
The letter was signed by more than 150 members of the House and 47 members of the Senate.
“We are committed to doing all that we can in Congress to get ENDA to your desk this year; however, there is no reason you cannot immediately act by taking this important step,” they wrote.
In addition to Johnson, other Texas lawmakers who signed the letter are Joaquin Castro, Lloyd Doggett, Al Green, Ruben Hinojosa, Sheila Jackson Lee, Beto O’Rourke, Marc Veasey and Filemon Vela.
“We’re continuing to get signers,” Brad Jacklin said.
Jacklin is executive director of the House of Representatives’ LGBT Equality Caucus.
He said similar letters have been sent in past years, and the number of signers has increased each year. No Republicans signed, although the House version of ENDA does have Republican co-sponsors.
Obama has been criticized for his use of executive orders, but requiring contractors to protect their employees would be in line with orders that other presidents wrote regarding discrimination.
“In 1941, President Roosevelt prohibited discrimination in defense contracts on the bases of race, creed, color, or national origin,” the letter states. “In subsequent executive orders, Presidents Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson expanded these protections to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to discriminate.”
At a press conference on March 14, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the administration’s position is that Congress should pass ENDA.
“I don’t have any updates for you on possible executive orders. What we’re focused on is a legislative remedy that would be more comprehensive and has already seen progress in Congress,” Carney said. “So, I don’t have a view to express on that particular issue.”
Johnson is a co-sponsor of ENDA.
“I strongly support equality for all people and especially in the workplace,” Johnson said. “President Obama has been one of the biggest presidential supporters of equal rights and of the LGBT community. In my own Congressional office, color, creed or sexual orientation are not considered when people are being hired.
The only consideration is job performance, and whether or not an individual is prepared.”
The letter mentions three government contractors — Boeing, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin — that have nondiscrimination policies in place.
Local activist Louise Young is a retired senior software engineer at Raytheon and was partially responsible for getting her company to adopt those policies.
“It was a great feeling going to work everyday knowing I was treated equally by my company,” Young said.
She said an executive order would benefit the government because it made it easier to focus on her job. The pride she felt in her company translated into better work.
“I commend Congresswoman Johnson and all those who signed on,” Young said. “I’m very proud of her.”
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition March 21, 2014.