Maggie Gallagher Has The EEOC Sadz

"On Friday, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission made a remarkably lawless decision: it unilaterally added 'sexual orientation' to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, something wholly unjustified by the text, by the history, or by the plain meaning of the statue, hijacking the civil rights movement in a profound new way. Everyone knows the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not include sexual orientation. Even the gay rights movement knows it, because they proposed adding employment discrimination by statute, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), and even adding sexual orientation to the ’64 Act. Now, unless Congress acts, every religious school, charity, and parachurch organization must hire openly gay people, or face potential backbreaking litigation. Will Kennedy overturn this ruling? Don’t count on it. Will Congress pass a law against it, clarifying the Civil Rights Act of 1964 means what it says? Don’t count on that either." - Maggie Gallagher. (Tipped by JMG reader Christopher)

EEOC Rules That Anti-Gay Workplace Discrimination Is Barred By Existing Law

Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed:

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has ruled that existing civil rights law bars sexual orientation-based employment discrimination — a groundbreaking decision to advance legal protections for gay, lesbian, and bisexual workers. “[A]llegations of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation necessarily state a claim of discrimination on the basis of sex,” the commission concluded in a decision dated July 15.

The independent commission addressed the question of whether the ban on sex discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars anti-LGB discrimination in a complaint brought by a Florida-based air traffic control specialist against Transportation Sec. Anthony Foxx.

The ruling — approved by a 3-2 vote of the five-person commission — applies to federal employees’ claims directly, but it also applies to the entire EEOC, which includes its offices across the nation that take and investigate claims of discrimination in private employment. While only the Supreme Court could issue a definitive ruling on the interpretation, EEOC decisions are given significant deference by federal courts.

The Human Rights Campaign reacts:

"Discrimination has no place in America, plain and simple," said HRC President Chad Griffin. "This historic ruling by the EEOC makes clear they agree workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, much like gender identity, is illegal. While an important step, it also highlights the need for a comprehensive federal law permanently and clearly banning LGBT discrimination beyond employment to all areas of American life. Such a law would send a clear and permanent signal that discrimination against LGBT people will not be tolerated under any circumstances in this country, and we remain fully committed to making that happen."

In a 2012 decision in Macy v. Holder, the EEOC determined that discrimination based on an individual's gender identity is sex discrimination and thus constitutes a violation of the Civil Rights Act. EEOC rulings are not binding on federal courts, however they are persuasive. This new decision continues an important trend in the development of case law. The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on this issue. HRC continues to advocate for permanent and explicit, legislated non-discrimination protections at all levels of government for LGBT people.

Lambda Legal reacts:

“This landmark opinion from the EEOC confirms what we have long argued in our cases: discriminating against gay, lesbian and bisexual employees violates federal law. This ruling is likely to have enormous positive effects because EEOC interpretations of Title VII are highly persuasive to the courts—they tend to be predictive. Given the clarity and logic of this opinion, most courts are likely to stop simply referring to old, illogical rulings about Title VII coverage. A few may disagree, but most probably will be guided by the Commission’s straightforward approach,” said Greg Nevins, Counsel and Employment Fairness Strategist for Lambda Legal. Lambda Legal has been working for years on cases showing why Title VII, when properly understood, protects LGBT employees. This EEOC decision cites some of Lambda Legal’s recent work on this issue and it will be immensely significant in this continuing work.

While this will likely end up before the Supreme Court, it seems like today's ruling could ultimately mean a win in the decades-long battle for Congress to pass ENDA.

Log Cabin Republicans Question Hillary Clinton's Support For The LGBT Community

Moments after Hillary Clinton issued yesterday's announcement video, the Log Cabin Republicans fired out the below list of questions.

“With her candidacy formally declared, Mrs. Clinton now has the duty of providing answers to numerous questions that should give LGBT voters and allies pause, regardless of party affiliation,” Log Cabin Republicans National Executive Director Gregory T. Angelo stated. There are questions Mrs. Clinton needs to answer: Does Mrs. Clinton still hold the belief that “marriage had always been a matter left to the states,” as she stated to Terry Gross on NPR, less than a year ago?  If Mrs. Clinton’s position has changed, when did it change? And what is the reason for that flip-flop?  Did Mrs. Clinton support the Federal Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by her husband President Bill Clinton while she was First Lady? 

Did Mrs. Clinton support the military’s discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, signed by her husband while she was First Lady? Does Mrs. Clinton support open service for all LGBT Americans seeking to defend our freedoms?  Given the surge of broad discriminatory so-called “religious freedom” bills emerging across the country, did Mrs. Clinton support the original Religious Freedom Restoration Act signed into law by her husband while she was First Lady upon which this new crop of RFRA legislation is based? Although she was a leader on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act while she was a United States Senator, does Mrs. Clinton support more comprehensive civil rights legislation for LGBT Americans?

Does Mrs. Clinton support full repeal of the Death Tax, the discriminatory tax that prompted the Supreme Court’s historic 2013 Windsor ruling overturning Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act that was signed into law by her husband? Will Mrs. Clinton be as willing to engage with foreign nations guilty of gross human rights abuses against the gay community as she has been with her foundation? "Now that her candidacy is official, we hope Mrs. Clinton answers these questions expeditiously,” Angelo concluded. “The gay left may be willing to make assumptions about Mrs. Clinton’s support for the LGBT community, but Log Cabin Republicans will not.”

Remember that Log Cabin endorsed Mitt Romney, who signed NOM's anti-gay marriage pledge and who opposed the repeal of DADT.

House Panel Rejects ENDA

Last night a GOP-dominated House panel rejected a last minute attempt to pass ENDA before Congress adjourns for the year. Chris Johnson reports at Washington Blade:

Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) introduced the amendment on behalf of Jared Polis (D-Colo.), who’s gay and chief sponsor of ENDA, during House Rules Committee consideration of the fiscal year 2015 defense authorization bill. Polis is a member of the Rules Committee, but was absent when the amendment came up for a vote. The panel, which is heavily stacked in favor of Republicans, rejected the amendment 7-3 without discussion by a party-line vote. Had the Rules Committee accepted the amendment, it would have made ENDA part of the defense spending measure before it headed to a vote on the full House floor.

Lawmakers who voted against the amendment were House Rules Committee Chair Pete Sessions (R-Texas), Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.), Rep. Richard Nugent (R-Fla.), Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) and Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas). Voting in favor of the amendment were Reps. Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-Calif.), James McGovern (D-Mass.) and Hastings. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) is one of eight House Republican co-sponsors of ENDA and a House Rules Committee member, but she wasn’t present during the committee session to vote on the amendment.

The Senate approved ENDA late last year. There is little chance of the bill moving forward again once the new Congress is seated next month.

ALABAMA: Lesbian Lawmaker Renames LGBT Rights Bill For Apple CEO Tim Cook

In 2011 openly lesbian Alabama state Rep. Patricia Todd introduced a bill to protect LGBT citizens from employment discrimination. The bill failed, but Todd is trying again and this time she has renamed the bill the "Tim Cook Economic Development Act." According to the governor, state employees are already protected.

In October, Cook — an Alabama native and CEO of one of America’s best-known tech companies — criticized the state’s employment laws in a speech before the Alabama Academy of Honor, where he was being inducted as a member. “Under the law, citizens of Alabama can still be fired for their sexual orientation,” Cook said. A few days after the speech, Cook came out as gay in an opinion piece published in Bloomberg Businessweek. On the day of Cook’s speech, Gov. Robert Bentley told The Anniston Star he wasn’t sure it was, in fact, legal to fire someone based on sexual orientation. He said he’d look into the issue. This week, Bentley’s office released a short statement saying that state agencies, at least, can’t fire people solely because they’re gay. “As it relates to state agencies in Alabama, it would be a violation of Title VII and Sections 1981, 1983 and 1985 of the Civil Rights Act to terminate a person based solely on sexual orientation,” Bentley’s press secretary, Yasamie August, wrote in an emailed statement. August’s statement didn’t address discrimination in private workplaces, and attempts to reach her for further comment Thursday were not successful.

Rep. Todd: "If you ask people on the street, they’ll say of course you can’t get fired. They think we’re a protected class, but we’re not." (Tipped by JMG reader Jeremy)

Email Of The Day: Eugene Delgaudio

"Dear Joe, Congress's lame duck session begins today. As you're reading this email, the radical Homosexual Lobby is pulling out all the stops to bend the ear of Republican House leadership. They're desperate for a vote on the Gay Bill of Special Rights before the new Congress -- with a Republican Senate -- convenes in January. They know that right now -- while defeated and retiring representatives still have the power to vote on laws -- is their best chance they have to get a vote for at least two more years. Fortunately, this is also our best chance to derail their agenda. If Republican House leadership holds the line against the Gay Bill of Special Rights, it wipes out the Homosexual Lobby's success in passing it through the Senate for the first time ever. Public Advocate can make this happen. My staff and I have already drawn up a hard-hitting grassroots campaign to keep Republican House leadership's feet to the fire. But I need your help to raise our $15,000 program budget by midnight. And time is running out. Without your signed petition and financial support of $15, $25, or even $35, the Homosexual Lobby's dirty tricks might win the day. Joe, you and I can't let that happen." - Eugene Delgaudio, in his third money beg this week, the first of which claimed credit for the ruling by the Sixth Circuit Court.

Log Cabin Head Gregory Angelo: Boehner Has Always Backed Gay GOP Candidates

Tony Perkins On ENDA

"As even the Left turns its back on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to give homosexuals and transgenders special rights in the workplace, the White House stubbornly plows ahead, insisting that it will defy Congress and enact a smaller version of the law by executive order. Angry the policy wouldn't go far enough in handcuffing employers with religious beliefs, most homosexual activists turned their backs on the idea. While they may have changed their position, 'this administration has not changed ours,' an Obama spokesman said. 'We're certainly aware of the ongoing conversations about ENDA,' he explained. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be aware of the conversation in Congress, where House members refused even to consider the bill. As we know too well, the LGBT community may make up three percent -- but it continues to get nearly 100% of the President's attention. If only Christians realized what liberals already do: that when it comes to transforming the culture, it's not the quantity of those engaged, but rather the quality of the commitment that counts." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via email.

Tony Perkins On ENDA

"Speaking of ideological oppression, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is full of it. But apparently, not full enough to suit the radical Left. After months of demanding action, liberals are abruptly bailing on the legislation, which many of them called their top legislative priority. The about-face comes just days after the Supreme Court upheld the religious rights of businesses like Hobby Lobby. It's a ruling, liberals worry, could translate into new protections for employers with similar faith-based objections to homosexuality. This is how extreme homosexual activists are. If they can't demand acceptance from every American, regardless of their moral views, then they aren't interested in enacting ENDA. Not until they can order Christian schools, daycares, summer camps, and other role model occupations into celebrating a lifestyle diametrically opposed to their faith. Leaders in Congress and elsewhere mistakenly think they can satisfy this radical fringe by climbing aboard the 'special rights' bandwagon. They can't. The only satisfaction they're interested in is complete and utter surrender." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, who has enjoyed "special rights" since the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Chad Griffin: HRC Supports ENDA, But...

"The Human Rights Campaign supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act for a very simple reason. It will guarantee millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in all 50 states explicit, reliable protections from discrimination in the workplace. We call on our allies in Congress to improve this bill’s overly broad religious exemption. A strong ENDA is worth fighting for because we cannot ignore the urgent need of countless LGBT people who do not have the luxury of waiting for these protections.

"All of us in the LGBT movement knew that passing ENDA wasn’t going to be easy in the 113th Congress. In fact, we knew it would require the biggest legislative campaign in the history of this movement. We all knew the bill wouldn’t be perfect, because legislating always involves compromises. But we also knew that there were two red lines we would not cross. The bill had to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community, and it had to ensure that private employers could never cite a religious reason to fire or refuse to hire an employee.

"But regardless of whether or not ENDA passes in this session of Congress, it is time for the LGBT movement to throw its weight behind a fully comprehensive LGBT civil rights bill. A bill that, at long last, would bar discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in all core civil rights categories — including housing, public accommodations, credit, education and, if ENDA fails to pass, in employment. This is a visionary idea that Congresswoman Bella Abzug brought to Congress in 1974. Its time has come." - Human Rights Campaign head Chad Griffin, writing for Buzzfeed.

Read the full essay.

Buzzfeed's Chris Geidner On ENDA

Yesterday several major LGBT groups including the ACLU, the NGLTF, and Lambda Legal announced that they no longer support ENDA due to its broad religious exemptions. Buzzfeed's Chris Geidner has published a lengthy look at the ENDA battle and concludes his analysis with three reasons for the sudden change of heart. The final reason:

The White House is preparing an executive order for Obama to sign that will bar federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity — and LGBT groups want to make it perfectly clear to Obama and others that ENDA’s religious exemption would be unacceptable to them. With last week’s letter signed by Rick Warren and others and draft letter circulated by Jim Wallis seeking a strong religious exemption — similar to the ENDA religious exemption — in the executive order, LGBT groups and allies are trying to move quickly and forcefully to push the counterargument.

On Tuesday, two letters were sent to the White House — one from the heads of statewide LGBT groups and another from progressive religious leaders — pressing the White House to include no more broad of a religious exemption in the executive order than that given with regard to other classes in other anti-discrimination measures. For the organizations withdrawing their support from ENDA, they are talking about the religious exemption contained in ENDA — but they also are sending a message that such an exemption would clearly not be acceptable to them in the executive order.

Read the full article.

NOTE: The Human Rights Campaign appears to be standing alone behind ENDA. Yesterday they issued a brief statement: "HRC supports ENDA because it will provide essential workplace protections to millions of LGBT people."

ACLU Retracts ENDA Support

This afternoon the ACLU joined a growing list of civil rights group that have dropped their support for ENDA due to its gaping religious exemptions. Via press release:

The provision in the current version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that allows religious organizations to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity has long been a source of significant concern to us. Given the types of workplace discrimination we see increasingly against LGBT people, together with the calls for greater permission to discriminate on religious grounds that followed immediately upon the Supreme Court’s decision last week in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, it has become clear that the inclusion of this provision is no longer tenable. It would prevent ENDA from providing protections that LGBT people desperately need and would make very bad law with potential further negative effects. Therefore, we are announcing our withdrawal of support for the current version of ENDA. For decades, our organizations have challenged anti-LGBT workplace discrimination in the courts and worked for the passage of inclusive non-discrimination laws at the local, state, and federal level. We do this work because of the devastating toll workplace discrimination has had, and continues to have, on the lives of LGBT people. It is unacceptable that in the year 2014, men and women are forced to hide who they are or whom they love when they go to work.

Co-signing the above statement are Lambda Legal, GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders), the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the Transgender Law Center. Earlier today the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force also dropped their support for ENDA.

Years and years of hard-fought battles resulted in the Senate passage of ENDA in November 2013 by a vote of 64-32. I exulted in that moment, truly. But no hope of the bill progressing in the GOP-dominated House coupled with the Hobby Lobby ruling means that the entire LGBT rights movement must now focus on having LGBT Americans included under the broad protections of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Some are loudly arguing that LGBT opposition to ENDA is yet another case of the perfect being the enemy of the good, a cry that was also made when many of us objected after transgender protections were stripped from the 2007 version of ENDA. But as some of you have pointed out, exempting the very people most likely to discriminate from an anti-discrimination bill just does not make sense in the post-Hobby Lobby world.

It's time for all of us to adopt and adapt the slogan of Idaho's activists, who demand that "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" be added to their state's human rights act.

"Add The Four Words" - to the Civil Rights Act Of 1964.

NGTLF Retracts Support For ENDA

"The morning the sun rose after the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby ruling, we all woke up in a changed and intensified landscape of religious exemptions being used as an excuse to discriminate. The reality is that while politics is about compromise, some compromises are too great. After much soul searching, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund has decided to withdraw its support for the current version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. As one of the lead advocates on this bill for 20 years, we do not take this move lightly but we do take it unequivocally — we now oppose this version of ENDA because of its too-broad religious exemption." - Rea Carey, head of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, joining the increasing chorus of opposition to the current form of ENDA.

RELATED: Leading that chorus has been Queer Nation, which has protested and picketed outside of numerous LGBT events to raise awareness of the religious exemptions in ENDA. 

ALSO RELATED: Under its previous executive director Matt Foreman, the Task Force also opposed the 2007 version of ENDA due to its then-exclusion of transgender protections, which were stripped from the bill in a compromise led by former Rep. Barney Frank. In May of this year, Foreman called for "pulling the plug" on the current form of ENDA.

Quote Of The Day - Matt Foreman

"Hobby Lobby dramatically escalates the harm that will be caused if President Obama succumbs to growing pressure from religious and anti-gay forces and (with implicit or explicit approval from HRC) puts an ENDA-like religious exemption in the promised Executive Order (EO) to prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination by federal contractors. While largely under the radar, this is, in fact, a crisis situation.

"Such an exemption would have been bad enough before Hobby Lobby, but the decision makes it even more deadly. The Hobby Lobby majority said the decision shouldn't be read to undermine employment nondiscrimination laws. BUT if the EO contains the ENDA exemption, there's nothing to stop the reasoning in Hobby Lobby from having full force and effect in justifying anti-LGBT discrimination by federal contractors - pushing the door even more widely open for discrimination against our people for essentially any reason whatsoever.

"The only acceptable religious exemption is the one long-contained in Title VII. Anything else can spell disaster for years to come, including profoundly weakening the impact of future federal nondiscrimination laws and our hopes to secure meaningful civil rights protections in the 29 states that still lack them. There is no moral or political justification for President Obama to cave and endorse LGBT people having less protections from discrimination than other Americans. This issue is not a side show; it is core to our equality." - Former National Gay & Lesbian Task Force executive director Matt Foreman, via email.

Perkins Has The Executive Order Sadz

"After 30 days of nonstop, in-your-face celebration, the White House is capping off 'gay pride' month with its biggest gift yet. Next Monday, the pot of gold at the end of this President’s rainbow is an executive order giving special workplace benefits to the sexually confused. For the far-Left, it caps off a long fight to get the administration to do what Congress has not: order employers to put aside their profits, principles, and practices in the name of political correctness. The President’s order implementing part of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) -- once considered 'too radical' even for his own party -- forces government contractors and subcontractors to hire gays, lesbians, transvestites, and transsexuals -- regardless of their legally protected morals. This level of coercion is nothing less than viewpoint blackmail -- and from the federal government no less!" - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via email.

Perkins Has The Executive Order Sadz

"Considering the decisions of this administration, every month feels like 'gay pride month.' But this year, the President had something special in mind for his activist friends. The President will soon be issuing an executive order mandating that all federal contractors and subcontractors give special treatment to homosexuals, transgenders, and cross-dressers in the workplace. This action is wrong on the merits, because it accepts the premise that distinctions based on actual conduct -- such as homosexual behavior and cross-dressing -- should be treated the same way as distinctions based on immutable and innocuous characteristics like race.

"However, it also shows disregard for the proper boundaries of executive powers in relation to the legislature. Just as judges aren't supposed to write laws, but interpret them, the President is not supposed to write laws, but carry them out. Congress has refused to pass the  ENDA because of the detrimental impact on employers' and employees' constitutional freedoms of religion, speech, and association. In the absence of legislative authority, the President should not impose such policies on federal contractors, either.

"Obama's proposed order could have a devastating effect on major corporations such as ExxonMobil which have courageously refused to capitulate to political correctness, as well as religious groups such as relief organizations which sometimes put government dollars to work in uniquely effective ways. It may be Pride month, but President Obama's pandering to his friends on the far Left is nothing to be proud of." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via email.

Sen. Orrin Hatch Demands Religious Exemptions In LGBT Executive Order

Yesterday it was announced that President Obama plans to issue an executive order forbidding federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT employees. Today Sen. Orrin Hatch declared that he wants to create the same gaping religious loophole in the order that has caused several major LGBT rights groups to denounce ENDA.

“While the specifics of this executive order are not yet clear, I believe it must include the same religious protections that are included in the bipartisan Employment Non-Discrimination Act that passed the Senate,” Hatch said. “ENDA strikes a good balance to ensure that discrimination based on sexual orientation will not be tolerated, but also that one of our nation’s fundamental freedoms — religious freedom — is still upheld. The same must be said for any Obama Administration initiative on this issue.” Hatch offered the most pronounced reaction to the executive order among other Republicans federal lawmakers, who were largely silent when the White House made the news. In September, Hatch was among 10 Senate Republicans who voted for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, legislation that would bar LGBT discrimination among public and private employers, not just federal contractors. At the time, Hatch said he was able to support the legislation because of the bill’s religious exemption.

The wording of the executive order has not been revealed.

RELATED: Last month Hatch announced that nationwide marriage equality is a done deal and that any member of the GOP who feels otherwise just hasn't been paying attention.

FRC Has The Executive Order Sadz

"This political gesture reflects the president's repeated disregard for the legislative process. Congress has not passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) or similar provisions, despite activists' pressure to do so, because of the detrimental impact on employers' and employees' constitutional freedoms of religion, speech, and association. Historically, these kinds of provisions have not been applied to conduct-based distinctions that are not found in the Constitution.

"Today's announced executive order will give activists a license to challenge their employers whenever they feel aggrieved, exposing those employers to threats of costly legal proceedings and the potential of jeopardizing future contracts. Furthermore, by requiring federal contractors to consider characteristics and behaviors related to a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, this policy will make contractors liable for protecting actual or perceived self-disclosed and fluid identities that may not even be known.

"The timing of this announcement is clearly designed to curry favor with activist organizations. While the president prepares to address a New York gathering of gay rights supporters, the American people will be left to sort out the costs to religious and constitutional liberties resulting from this executive order." - Family Research Council vice president Peter Sprigg, via press release.

RELATED: Sprigg has called for criminalizing homosexuality in the United States and used a 2008 Fox News appearance to declare that gay people should be "exported" out of the country.

BREAKING: President Obama To Sign Executive Order Protecting LGBT Employees Of Federal Contractors

The National Lesbian & Gay Task Force is first with the news that President Obama will sign an executive order forbidding anti-LGBT discrimination by employers who have contracts with the federal government. Via press release:

“This is a major step forward in the struggle for freedom and justice for LGBTQ workers and their families. Now millions of people will have the economic security they need to provide for their families. Through his actions, the President has demonstrated again his commitment to ending discrimination. We thank all the organizations who have worked so hard to make this piece of history. This decision is good for LGBTQ people, good for our economy and good for America. Unfortunately, many of us who don't work for federal contractors will still lack workplace protections. Now we must redouble our efforts for the urgent passage of state employment protections and strong federal legislation.”

LGBT rights groups have been pressing for this move for more than a year since it became clear that ENDA was probably permanently stalled in the House. Story developing...

UPDATE: More from Chris Geidner at Buzzfeed:

The Obama administration has maintained in the past that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is its preferred path for LGBT workplace protections, but Monday’s announcement signals an acknowledgement that, despite Senate passage last fall, the bill is not likely to move in the House this year. Monday’s planned announcement comes the day before Obama is slated to talk in New York City at a Democratic National Committee LGBT gala. Additionally, the White House reception planned to mark LGBT Pride Month is set for June 30. Although the specifics of the White House plans were not yet known, the order likely would either amend an earlier executive order signed by President Lyndon Johnson banning federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin or would be modeled after that order.

UPDATE II: From the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus.

Today’s announcement, when implemented, will only protect employees of federal contractors. The Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus and its leadership continue to press for a vote of the bipartisan Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which passed the U.S. Senate in November 2013. ENDA currently has 205 cosponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act would establish basic protections in the workplace to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. There are currently only 18 states and the District of Columbia that prohibit discrimination on bases of sexual orientation and gender identity, and an additional 3 states that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. ENDA would provide a basic level of protection against workplace discrimination in a manner modeled closely on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and would apply to private employers as well as local, state, and federal government employers.

The Caucus was established in 2008 by former Rep. Barney Frank and then-Rep. Tammy Baldwin.

UPDATE III: From the Human Rights Campaign.

The executive order will prohibit companies that contract with the federal government from discriminating in employment based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Federal contractors employ more than 20 percent of the American workforce – 28 million workers -- and collect around $500 billion in federal contracts every year. According to the Williams Institute, an executive order would protect 11 million more American workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation and up to 16.5 million more workers based on gender identity.

Notably, the proposed executive order will require Exxon Mobil Corporation, a top federal contractor that draws hundreds of millions annually in federal contracts, to provide non-discrimination protections to its LGBT employees and prospective hires. Yet ExxonMobil has consistently resisted these kinds of protections. Earlier this month, ExxonMobil’s shareholders voted for the 17th time to reject a policy that would prohibit discrimination against LGBT workers.

UPDATE IV: From the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

"We are elated at the news that the President has directed his staff to begin drafting a Presidential Executive Order to protect LGBT individuals from discrimination by employers who work with the federal government. In 32 states LGBT people still have no protections against job loss and adverse actions at work based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The President's promise to sign an Executive Order barring discrimination in employment for a large swath of employers will provide a significant number of LGBT workers the security of knowing they can support themselves and their families."

Presidential Proclamation: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender Pride Month

"As progress spreads from State to State, as justice is delivered in the courtroom, and as more of our fellow Americans are treated with dignity and respect -- our Nation becomes not only more accepting, but more equal as well. During Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month, we celebrate victories that have affirmed freedom and fairness, and we recommit ourselves to completing the work that remains.

"Last year, supporters of equality celebrated the Supreme Court's decision to strike down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act, a ruling which, at long last, gave loving, committed families the respect and legal protections they deserve. In keeping with this decision, my Administration is extending family and spousal benefits -- from immigration benefits to military family benefits -- to legally married same-sex couples.

"My Administration proudly stands alongside all those who fight for LGBT rights. Here at home, we have strengthened laws against violence toward LGBT Americans, taken action to prevent bullying and harassment, and prohibited discrimination in housing and hospitals. Despite this progress, LGBT workers in too many States can be fired just because of their sexual orientation or gender identity; I continue to call on the Congress to correct this injustice by passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. And in the years ahead, we will remain dedicated to addressing health disparities within the LGBT community by implementing the Affordable Care Act and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy -- which focuses on improving care while decreasing HIV transmission rates among communities most at risk.

"Our commitment to advancing equality for the LGBT community extends far beyond our borders. In many places around the globe, LGBT people face persecution, arrest, or even state-sponsored execution. This is unacceptable. The United States calls on every nation to join us in defending
the universal human rights of our LGBT brothers and sisters.

"This month, as we mark 45 years since the patrons of the Stonewall Inn defied an unjust policy and awakened a nascent movement, let us honor every brave leader who stood up, sat in, and came out, as well as the allies who supported them along the way. Following their example, let each of us speak for tolerance, justice, and dignity -- because if hearts and minds continue to change over time, laws will too.

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2014 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.

"IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth." - Barack Obama.