Today, FreedomOhio applauded the announcement of President Obama’s forthcoming Executive Order banning employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The order comes after Speaker of the House John Boehner refused to bring the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) legislation to a vote.
“FreedomOhio is committed to equality for LGBT people in every aspect of their lives,” said Ian James, FreedomOhio Executive Director and co-founder. “Every Ohioan should have the peace of mind that they will be judged on the quality of their work, not their sexual orientation or gender identity. President Obama’s Executive Order marks an important step toward this goal.”
The Executive Order is said to prohibit workplace discrimination for LGBT Americans and will only apply to federal employees and contractors.
The federal ENDA legislation passed by the Senate last year and held up in the House includes a significant and problematic religious exemption.
“While we recognize the significance of this action, we oppose broad religious exemptions that allow secular organizations receiving federal money to continue discriminatory practices by using a vague description of religious freedom,” James continued. “Any religious exemption needs to be clear and straightforward to ensure all workers are protected from discrimination on the job.
FreedomOhio is the state’s largest LGBT equality organization with more than 62,000 members. The group is working to bring their clear, concise and constitutionally sound 46-word amendment to Ohio voters. The amendment will allow same-gender couples to go to a courthouse and receive a marriage license, while also protecting and respecting the rights of houses of worship to choose whether or not to perform and/or recognize those marriages. Recent polling from Public Policy Polling (PPP) showed 56% of Ohio voters support FreedomOhio’s amendment.
