Obama's Executive Order On LGBT Workplace Discrimination Goes Into Effect

From the blog of the Labor Department Secretary Tom Perez:

Today, President Obama’s Executive Order on LGBT Workplace Discrimination goes into effect. It prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Because of this Executive Order, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people employed by federal contractors across the country will now receive new legal protections designed to ensure they are judged by the quality of their work, not who they are or whom they love.

As I said when the executive order was announced, this is a civil rights victory consistent with our founding principles. It will mean a more dynamic and inclusive workforce that captures the talents of more of our people. It advances the principle that we should be leaving no one on the sidelines, that America is strongest when it fields a full team.

Each year, federal contractors and subcontractors receive billions of taxpayer dollars to supply goods, provide services and perform construction work for government agencies. In return, they are held to a reasonable standard that they may not discriminate in hiring, firing, pay, promotion and other employment practices. Until today, it was discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability and status as a protected veteran that was prohibited. Now, in the first expansion since 1974, LGBT Americans enjoy these same protections.

Read the full announcement.

ExxonMobil Adds LGBT Protections

JMG reader Mike forwards us yesterday's message from ExxonMobil's LGBT employee group, which notes that the company's board of directors has approved the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes. In July 2014 ExxonMobil announced that it would comply with President Obama's executive order regarding companies with federal contracts, but at that time a company spokesman would not say if that compliance would mean a formal change to ExxonMobil's equal employment opportunity policy. ExxonMobil's shareholders had long rejected such a change, voting it down for 17 consecutive years and earning the lavish praise of Tony Perkins, who will surely have the sadz about today's news.

Bishops Have The Executive Order Sadz

Via press release:

The regulations published on December 3 by the U.S. Department of Labor implement the objectionable Executive Order that President Obama issued in July to address what the Administration has described as “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” discrimination in employment by federal contractors. We will study the regulations carefully, but we note the following initially.

Our Church teaches that “[e]very sign of unjust discrimination” against those who experience same-sex attraction “should be avoided” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC 2358)—but it appears on an initial reading that these regulations would prohibit far more than that “unjust discrimination.”

In particular, they appear also to prohibit employers’ religious and moral disapproval of same-sex sexual conduct, which creates a serious threat to freedom of conscience and religious liberty, because “[u]nder no circumstances” may Catholics approve of such conduct (CCC 2357). Very many other people over a broad spectrum of different religious faiths hold this same conviction.

Additionally, the regulations advance the false ideology of “gender identity,” which ignores biological reality and harms the privacy and associational rights of both contractors and their employees. In justice, the Administration should not exclude contractors from federal contracting simply because they have religious or moral convictions about human sexuality and sexual conduct that differ from the views of the current governmental authorities.

Barber: It's Unconstitutional To Prevent Discrimination Against LGBT Americans

"This is unconstitutional and just as he did with executive amnesty, this administration has pushed forward where he cannot get his radical legislation passed. This President is going to effectively insert that thereby discriminating against Bible-believing Christian organizations, who recognize biblical sexual morality and live out their faith in their everyday life, including in the workplace. This President has said, No, we are going to discriminate against you, Christian federal contractors, to the detriment of both your religious liberties and so forth." - Hate group leader Matt Barber, speaking to the AFA's OneNewsNow.

Log Cabin Slams GOP Attempt To Stall Executive Order On Federal Contractors

"Bring it on. Unlike his hotly contested unilateral actions on immigration or minimum wage, President Obama’s executive order providing workplace protections for LGBT federal employees is a simple extension of an executive order that was already in place under the administration of President George W. Bush. We hope that Director Shiu calls Congressmen Kline and Walberg on their ridiculous bluff — if she does, both Congressmen will soon discover what Log Cabin Republicans has been telling their offices for years — that 69 percent of Americans support workplace protections for the LGBT community — including 56 percent of Republicans. It may be extreme, but perhaps a public comment period is what it will finally take for Chairman Kline to realize just how out-of-touch he is on this issue, both with Americans and his own constituents, and finally push the Employment Non-Discrimination Act out of committee where he has kept it bottled up for the past 13 months." - Log Cabin Republicans head Gregory Angelo, responding to the GOP's attempt to stall the executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT employees.

House Republicans Attempt To Stall Executive Order On Federal Contractors

Earlier this week the Department of Labor issued its final rule on the implementation of President Obama's executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT employees. House Republicans are now trying to stall the order's enactment. Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed:

House Education and Workforce Committee Chair John Kline, a Republican from Minnesota, and Rep. Tim Walberg, the Republican chair of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, made the request for a 60-day public comment period for the rule in a letter to the head of the office responsible for enforcing it. “[W]e understand the public was not afforded an opportunity to submit comments as provided under the Administrative Procedures Act (APA),” Kline and Walberg wrote to Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Director Patricia Shiu. “Public comment is essential to all rulemakings.” After laying out their argument, they write, “We therefore urge OFCCP to withdraw its final regulation submitted to [Office of Management and Budget] … so the process for implementing [Obama’s executive order] can be done with the transparency and public participation typically afforded under the APA.” They ask for a response from Shiu “no later than December 17, 2014.”

The Labor Department is reviewing the letter.

Labor Department Issues Final Rule On LGBT Anti-Discrimination Measures

Via press release:

A new rule prohibiting discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity in the federal contracting workforce is being announced today by the U.S. Department of Labor. The rule implements Executive Order 13672, which was signed by President Obama on July 21.

"Americans believe in fairness and opportunity. No one should live in fear of being fired or passed over or discriminated against at work simply because of who they are or who they love," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "Laws prohibiting workplace discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity are long overdue, and we're taking a big step forward today to fix that."

EO 13672 tasked the department with updating the rules implementing EO 11246 to add gender identity and sexual orientation to the classes it protects. While 18 states, the District of Columbia and many businesses, large and small, already offer workplace protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees, July's executive order was the first federal action to ensure LGBT workplace equality in the private sector.

The press release notes that today's action becomes effective 120 days after being formally entered into the Federal Register and will apply to all "new and modified" civilian contracts with the federal government from that date forward.

SNL On Immigration Reform

Cruz Blows A Fuze

"Congress, representing the voice of the People, should use every tool available to prevent the President from subverting the rule of law. When the President usurps the legislative power and defies the limits of his authority, it becomes all the more imperative for Congress to act. And Congress should use those powers given to it by the Constitution to counter a lawless executive branch—or it will lose its authority.

"If the President announces executive amnesty, the new Senate Majority Leader who takes over in January should announce that the 114th Congress will not confirm a single nominee—executive or judicial—outside of vital national security positions, so long as the illegal amnesty persists. This is a potent tool given to Congress by the Constitution explicitly to act as a check on executive power. It is a constitutional power of the Majority Leader alone, and it would serve as a significant deterrent to a lawless President.

"Additionally, the new Congress should exercise the power of the purse by passing individual appropriations bills authorizing critical functions of government and attaching riders to strip the authority from the president to grant amnesty. A presidential temper tantrum is not an acceptable means of discourse.

"Of course, these confrontations are not desirable, and it is unbecoming for an American president to show such condescension towards the voters. The American people, however, are not powerless. They have elected a new Congress full of members who have promised in their campaigns to stand up to this lawless President and stop the amnesty. We must honor our commitments. If the President will not respect the people, Congress must." - Canada-born Sen. Ted Cruz, in his usual meltdown mode.

President Obama: Tomorrow I'll Announce Executive Order On Immigration Reform

More from the Associated Press:

As many as 5 million people in the country illegally would be spared from deportation and made eligible for work permits. But the eligible immigrants would not be entitled to federal benefits — including health care tax credits — under the plan, officials said Wednesday. Obama was to speak at Las Vegas' Del Sol High School, a school with a large population of non-English speaking students where Obama unveiled his blueprint for comprehensive immigration legislation in 2013. Republicans are vehemently opposed to the president's likely actions, with some conservative members threatening to pursue a government shutdown if Obama follows through on his promises to act before the end of the year.

Wingnuts are screaming their heads off on Twitter.

Department Of Labor Vows To Enforce Transgender Anti-Discrimination Rules

From Patricia Shiu, director of the Office Of Federal Contract Compliance Programs:

The federal government holds contracts with about 200,000 establishments, and these contractors and subcontractors play an important role in making our country work. They provide food, clothing, energy, transportation, medical treatment and thousands of essential services all around the country. As the director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, I oversee the agency that enforces laws that prohibit these employers from discriminating in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran or sex.

Today, we issued guidance clarifying that sex discrimination extends to gender identity and transgender status. This follows an announcement Secretary Perez made in June that the department is updating enforcement protocols and anti-discrimination guidance to clarify that we provide the full protection of the federal non-discrimination laws that we enforce to transgender individuals. And it follows President Obama's signing of Executive Order 13672 adding sexual orientation and gender identity as independent categories protected by Executive Order 11246, which OFCCP enforces.

So what does this mean? It means honoring our commitment to upholding equality in America's workforce. Being entrusted with taxpayer dollars is a privilege, and with that privilege comes a promise to open doors to all of America's workers. I believe that success for OFCCP and for federal contractors isn't simply about compliance. It's about creating a workplace culture that actively embraces diversity. Inclusiveness isn't just good for workers; it's smart for business. When employees can work without fear, when they can comfortably bring their whole selves to the job, companies benefit from the diverse perspectives and enthusiasm those workers bring to the job.

The image above illustrates Shiu's press release.

GOP Mum On LGBT Executive Order

Anti-gay and Christian groups have been screaming their heads off about President Obama's signing of the executive order protecting the LGBT employees of federal contractors from workplace discrimination. But the GOP hasn't uttered an official peep.

Perhaps nobody better illustrated this point than House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). HuffPost asked him Thursday if he had any reaction to Obama's LGBT executive order. "Nope," Boehner said at his weekly briefing. "The president signs a lot of executive orders." Asked if he supports the principle of workplace protections being extended to LGBT employees, he punted again. "Listen, the president is going to make his decisions. He can," Boehner said. On the other side, Human Rights Campaign spokesman Fred Sainz said he considers Republicans' silence golden. "While I would far prefer they speak on behalf of the equality their constituents support, it's definitely evidence of our progress when some say nothing," Sainz said. One factor may be that Republicans simply aren't keeping up with the flurry of LGBT rights advancements. Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.), one of the eight House GOP co-sponsors of ENDA, said Thursday that he didn't know about Obama's executive order. But he emphasized that if it has the same goal as ENDA -- which it does, except that ENDA has far broader implications -- he supports it.

Pastor Robert Jeffress: Obama's Executive Order Will Lead To Taxing Churches

Perkins: Ask Jesus To Stop Those Gays

From today's Family Research Council "Prayer Target":

Beginning of the ENDA - President Obama signed an executive order Monday to protect “gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees from discrimination by companies that do federal government work.” Tony Perkins commented, “mandating that all federal contractors and subcontractors — regardless of their religious and moral convictions — give special treatment to homosexuals, transgenders, and cross-dressers in the workplace.” The order also applies to subcontractors and will impact 24,000 companies, 28 million workers — about one-fifth of the total U.S. workforce. Government employees are already subject to an ENDA-like order. Tony writes, “This action is wrong… 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.”

May God’s people pray and arise to take action! May the next Congress and President act to protect all who hold to the Faith of our Fathers, and reverse the activist homosexual agenda in every branch of Government! (Ex 23:1-2; Dan 11:32; Acts 5:29).

(Via Good As You)

AFA Radio Host Sandy Rios: FBI Agents In Drag Are Coming To Get Christians

TEXAS: ExxonMobil Agrees To Comply With LGBT Employment Executive Order

After many years of refusing to include LGBT employees in their anti-discrimination policies, ExxonMobil, the world's largest energy corporation, has announced that it will comply with the executive order signed by President Obama just 48 hours ago. Via the Associated Press:

Exxon, which according to government records won more than $480 million in federal contracts in 2013 and more than $8 billion since 2006, has long resisted pressure from civil rights groups and shareholders to enumerate such protections in its formal policy. The world's biggest oil and gas company by market value will continue to "abide by the law," spokesman Alan Jeffers said Tuesday. He wouldn't say if that meant changing the language in the company's formal equal employment opportunity policy, but stressed that Exxon prohibits "discrimination on any basis." n May, Exxon shareholders voted down a proposal for the 15th consecutive year to add such language to its equal employment opportunity statement, maintaining that the business standards stated on a company web site ensure protections without having to specifically name them.

Even after all those years of dogged refusals by ExxonMobil's shareholders, there was surely little doubt that the company would comply with the executive order. But this particular announcement, coming from the largest employer in Texas, and coming so soon after the order's signing, is surely a loud signal to all the other federal contractors. I suspect some well-staged coordination. And that's a good thing.

AFA Email Campaign To Obama: Your LGBT Executive Order Has Stolen Our Religious Freedom To Be Total Douchebags

From the American Family Association:

Defying the Constitution, which gives only Congress the authority to make laws, President Obama decreed that anyone who does business with the federal government must adopt written policies that specifically mandate special protections for “sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.” Obama’s love affair with homosexuality will impact some 24,000 companies with 28 million workers, or one-fifth of the U.S. workforce. More alarming, his order discriminates against Christians.

In most cases, the government uses private and locally-owned civilian businesses to provide services. Examples include construction companies (carpenters, plumbers, electricians, etc.), health care professions, retail vendors (Walmart, Menard’s, restaurant chains), hotels and airlines. Without an exemption, Obama is ordering Christians to embrace sin and forfeit their faith convictions if they want to have the same business opportunities as non-Christian businesses. Obama has overstepped his authority and treats Christians as second-class citizens.

Read the email that the AFA is urging its followers to send:

I am deeply concerned by your executive order this week giving minorities the same rights and privileges that Christians have enjoyed for half a century, based solely on who they have steamy, wildly inventive, and deeply satisfying sex with. I believe all minorities should be treated as non-white, non-Christians were treated during the Middle Ages, but you have given preferential treatment to a fabulous lifestyle and not our chosen philosophy. More concerning is your decision to ignore the numerous pleas from KKK-affiliated hate groups to include exemptions for those who hold deep religious prejudices. In essence, you are discriminating against bigots and placing them at a great disadvantage when bidding to do business with the federal government. I am sending a copy of this message to my members of Congress, urging them to overturn your executive order by whatever means necessary, including fasting and holding their breath, to rein in your totally legal order and insure that Christians are free to practice their faith while pushing lesser Americans to the side.

I substituted a few words above, but hey, the AFA's action alert does invite one to "edit or add your own text." Hit the link for the original suggested message. (I did leave "insure" as is because ha ha.)

Tony Perkins Has Executive Order Sadz

"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. This order gives activists a license to challenge their employers and, expose those contracted employers to threats of costly legal proceedings and the potential of jeopardizing future contracts. The order further burdens contractors by stripping away their right to set dress and grooming standards. All this amounts to viewpoint blackmail and bullies into silence those contractors and subcontractors who have moral objections to homosexual behavior. This morning President Obama told the assembled group of activists, 'We're on the right side of history.' Mr. President, being on the wrong side of the natural law is never being on the right side of history. The President is placing at risk not only faith-driven employers but religious groups such as relief organizations which sometimes put government dollars to work in uniquely effective ways. The President's refusal to completely exempt religious businesses from this executive order betrays his true agenda -- forcing his own conformist views upon everyone else, and making America less free in the process." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via email.

Brian Brown Has The Executive Order Sadz

"The fact is that non-discrimination rules like the order issued by President Obama can become a weapon used to punish and harass individuals and groups who support marriage as the union of one man and one woman. As with the flawed ENDA legislation that was rejected by Congress, President Obama's order has the great potential of putting employers in the position of standing up for their faith values or violating the new order. This will unnecessarily subject people of faith to harassing complaints and lawsuits. All manner of frivolous lawsuits could result from an action like this, and that's a dangerous thing when the courts have already shown such a lack of restraint when it comes to the question of the definition of marriage. This is nothing more than an agenda to create a cultural narrative wherein the belief in marriage as the union of one man and one woman becomes the legal and social equivalent of bigotry or hate speech. It is the next step on a path we've already seen this administration proudly pursuing, a path toward a new thought-policing state where those who hold traditional values about marriage and family are to be marginalized." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, in a post calling for Congress to overturn today's executive order.

WATCH: Obama Signs Executive Order

LGBT history made in a room full of LGBT activists.