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Pocan Statement on Presidential Executive Order Protecting LGBT Employees of Federal Contractors

June 16, 2014

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), a co-chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus, today issued the following statement on President Obama's executive order which protects LGBT workers from employment discrimination by federal contractors:

"I am pleased to see President Obama take action to ban employment discrimination by federal contractors. This protection for LGBT workers is long overdue. Congress must still act on the Employer Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) to ensure all workers are protected from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. We need to give LGBT workers a fair shot to get ahead in life by making sure employers cannot fire, harass, deny a raise, or refuse to hire someone based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Only 21 states have made it illegal to fire or harass someone based on sexual orientation, or to deny a raise or refuse to hire on that same basis. Wisconsin has been a leader on this issue, becoming the first state to ban public and private sector employment discrimination based on sexual orientation in 1982.

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