Yesterday, the Trump Administration quietly issued an executive order rescinding Obama administration progress toward eliminating LGBT discrimination in the workplace. Previously, former president Barack Obama’s Executive Order 13673 took aim at LGBT discrimination by requiring federal contractors to disclose whether they have previously been held liable for discrimination against vulnerable groups, including LGBT individuals. By eliminating this requirement, federal government decisions about which companies to do business with no longer weigh a company’s history of LGBT discrimination as part of this decision-making. National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director Kate Kendell, Esq. issued the following statement in response:
“This administration is like a fast-moving car stuck in reverse. President Trump has repeatedly shown us that he is intent on chipping away at critical protections for LGBT and other vulnerable communities—taking our rights and our country backward. From the Department of Education’s elimination of transgender student protections to the selection of openly anti-LGBT individuals to lead the Department of Justice, the Office for Civil Rights for the Department of Health and Human Services, and the United States Air Force, this administration has drawn a line in the sand, making clear that it does not value our LGBT community or rights.
President Trump’s quiet take-down yesterday of federal safeguards against employment discrimination for millions of LGBT Americans is yet another example of why our elected officials, advocates, and our community must remain vigilant and continue working together to stop this administration’s regressive and harmful policies.”
