Fighting Injustice

Latinos for Executive ENDA

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) is the first non-LGBT civil rights group to support an executive order that would bar federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

MALDEF made the announcement recently with a letter from its president, Thomas Saenz, calling on President Obama to take administration action on the matter. Saenz points out in his letter that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) has stalled in Congress for years.

“MALDEF believes the time is now right to promote workplace fairness for LGBT individuals by taking strong executive action,” Saenz writes.

DynCorp LLC first implemented the non-discrimination policy after it came under scrutiny for anti-gay harassment on the job. Companies such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Boeing already have similar policies in place.

According to a Human Rights Campaign poll, 73% of Latinos strongly support the executive order.

Pressure for the executive order has been building. Last year United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America endorsed the executive order and last month a group on 72 U.S. House members sent a letter to Obama addressing the importance of the issue.

To read more visit the Washington Blade.

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