A fascinating article from Chris Johnson at the Blade. There's a growing list of things the President can do, and doesn't need Congress's consent. It's rather disturbing we're only finding this out now.
An executive order to prohibit workplace discrimination against LGBT people is receiving renewed attention now that the makeup of Congress makes passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act highly unlikely for at least two years.
LGBT rights supporters are pressing President Obama to issue a directive requiring the federal government to contract only with companies that have non-discrimination policies based on sexual orientation and gender identity protecting their employees.
In 1964, President Johnson issued an executive order prohibiting most federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin — prior to the enactment of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which provides similar protections in statute. Johnson’s directive could be used as a model for a directive protecting LGBT people.If the administration's treatment of DADT victims is any indication, it's going to be an uphill battle to get anything significant administratively. I'm just not convinced the courage is there. And it's going to erode the goodwill earned by the DADT victory.
