Between a plane downing in Ukraine and a military crisis in Gaza, there’s little doubt President Barack Obama is having a busy week. However, he found the time to deliver some good news to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers and their allies on Monday when he signed an executive order that will protect LGBT people who work for federal contractors or as federal employees from discrimination.
The new executive order comes in two parts, amending two older orders. The first section adds sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected categories of federal contractor employees. The second protects federal employees from discrimination based on their gender identity. Over objections from some quarters, the order does not include a religious exemption for employers.
