Op Ed: President Obama’s Latest Executive Order Protecting LGBT Americans – The True “American” Thing To Do!

Check out the many useful links to additional resources provided in this blog!

MAJOR UPDATE: On December 4, the US Dept of Labor announced the specific implementation of President Obama’s July executive order adding LGBT protections for federal contractors. All companies with new or modified federal contracts including subcontracts after April 6, 2015 must have non-discrimination policies that include sexual orientation and gender identity!

President Obama signing the executive order protecting LGBT Americans working at the Federal Government level.  (photo by Jewel Samad, AFP / Getty Images)

President Obama signing the executive order protecting LGBT Americans working at the Federal Government level. (photo by Jewel Samad, AFP / Getty Images)


In my last week’s blog “The Great United States / North Carolina Diversity Divide,” (link) I contrasted two recent advances for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) equality and fairness at the US Federal Level with a recent North Carolina Governor’s executive order on equal opportunity that excludes LGBT citizens. One of those Federal advances was President Obama’s promise to soon sign an executive order giving workplace protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity for federal employees and contractors. The big update: the promised executive order was indeed signed by President Obama on Monday, July 21st!

The executive order included two parts. First, it makes it illegal to fire or harass employees of federal contractors based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Second, it explicitly adds discrimination against transgender employees of the federal government (President Clinton had already included sexual orientation protections for federal employees earlier.) And very importantly, the executive order is all-inclusive and does NOT include a bunch of exemptions.

Here are three links to additional details:
• An excellent Huffington Post article about the executive order
• The official White House blog entry
• The actual text of the order.

What I find truly amazing is that some press outlets led with the headline, “President Obama’s LGBT Executive Order Endangers Religious Liberties.” For example, check out this Fox News story (link). Huh? How in the world does providing equal treatment for all Americans in the federal workplace endanger religious freedom? I would think that people of all faiths would want to make sure all people in our country were treated equally. In fact, many supportive religious leaders were in the ceremony when President Obama signed the order. (See photo) Also, check out this link to an excellent supportive commentary written by Rev. Elder Dr. Nancy Wilson, Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches.

Supportive religious leaders gathering in the White House Garden after witnessing the signing of this historic executive order.  (Photo courtesy of Rev Rob Keithan)

Supportive religious leaders gathering in the White House Garden after witnessing the signing of this historic executive order. (Photo courtesy of Rev Rob Keithan)


I would argue that there is absolutely no threat to religious freedom by this order. If a company felt so strongly that they should remove qualified LGBT Americans from their company or harass them, then they can make the choice to forgo doing business with the Federal Government. In fact, discriminating against LGBT people does a grave disservice to our country. As an American, I would want all subcontractors working for my government to have the very best, most qualified people working on these contracts regardless of gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation and gender identity.

Really – fairness, equal treatment, and having the best people empowered to do the best job they can is the true American way!

My annual discussion on “DADT” and LGBT diversity progression in the US Armed Forces

Major Daniel Toven and Johnathan Taylor at the Main Post Chapel, Ft. Bragg.  (Elizabeth Frantz, Fayetteville Observer

Major Daniel Toven and Johnathan Taylor at the Main Post Chapel, Ft. Bragg. (Elizabeth Frantz, Fayetteville Observer)


I have written blogs about the ending of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” within the US Military for the past three years. Actually, I did not intend to write another blog on this subject, but then I always seem to get some new exciting news around the annual anniversary of DADT’s repeal. (This repeal came in late December 2010 … see links later in this blog.)

I started my consulting practice in the Fall of 2010 and one of the first events I attended was a business matchmaking session which seeks to promote business between large corporations and government agencies with small entrepreneurs. Some representatives were there from the nearby Ft. Braagg US Army base in Fayetteville, NC. I introduced myself as a diversity consultant and trainer with a deep expertise in LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender), and mentioned that DADT may soon be repealed and that many military and support business would likely need some training on how to respectfully interact with out LGBT people. He rolled his eyes as if to be saying “Not in my life time!” And then just a few months later DADT was indeed repealed. Here are the links to my two original blogs at that time – part 1 about why this was a good move for our military, and part 2 about the training and work needed to productively move forward.

In January 2013 I provided an update (link) that showed mostly positive progress, like studies that proved that morale in our armed forces had not declined as many of the repeal detractors had forecast. But there was also some isolated examples that showed that training was still needed; a military spouses group here in North Carolina denied membership to the wife of a female Army lieutenant colonel married legally in New York.

The ruling of the US Supreme Court in late June of 2013 declaring many parts of DOMA (The Defense of Marriage Act) unconstitutional further opened the military establishment up to recognizing the same-gender marriages throughout the country. Another major milestone was reached last month in North Carolina when Major Daniel Toven married his boyfriend Johnathan Taylor at the Main Post Chapel at Fort Bragg on December 21, 2013. Unfortunately, because North Carolina has a constitutional amendment banning same-gender marriages, the event was officially a “blessing ceremony” and the two legally wed in the District of Columbia. However, I applaud the US military for being more open and permitting this ceremony on base. (Link to article from the Fayetteville Observer.)

Let’s hope that this positive momentum continues in the US Armed Forces and even spreads to some areas in our country that still do not offer LGBT citizens their full equal rights.