FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2014
Washington, DC- Family Equality Council applauds President Barack Obama for signing an executive order today that bans discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees of federal contractors and that bars discrimination against federal employees who are transgender.
Statement from Executive Director, Gabriel Blau
“With the stroke of a pen this morning, President Barack Obama has reiterated his commitment to equality. At the foundation of every happy, healthy family is economic security – the ability to earn a living and the economic stability to provide for a dependent partner and children. Through this executive order, the President ensures protections for many of the LGBTQ families we serve so that they may better provide security and stability for their loved ones.
“The U.S. workforce contains approximately 5.4 million LGBTQ workers who face high risks of job discrimination. As of today LGBTQ federal employees and those who work for federal contractors will no longer face those risks.
“In June we were pleased to have a seat at the table at The White House Summit on Working Families so that we could educate political leaders, business owners, and family advocates about the disparities facing LGBTQ working families and the need to enact laws and policies that protect them. While we still lack a federal law that protects all LGBTQ workers across the country, this executive order is a significant advancement and we thank President Obama for today’s action on behalf of our community.”
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About Family Equality Council®: Family Equality Council® connects, supports, and represents the three million parents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer in this country today and their six million children of all ages. We are changing attitudes and policies to ensure that all families are respected, loved, and celebrated—including families with parents who are LGBTQ. We are a community of parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren that reaches across this country. For over 30 years we have raised our children and raised our voices toward fairness for all families.
Contact: Cindi Creager, CreagerCole Communications
(646) 279-4559, cindi@creagercole.com