Trump asks to fire workers for being gay

On January 21,President Trump issued an executive order revoking federal civil rights protections and DEI initiatives. This brief examines the impact of the executive order on transgender federal employees and LGBTQ employees of federal contractors and subcontractors.

On January 21,President Trump issued an executive order that broadly undermines longstanding federal civil rights protections and DEI programs and initiatives. Until Januaryfederal employees and employees of federal contractors and subcontractors were expressly protected from sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination under executive orders issued by Presidents Clinton 4 and Obama.

Trump's fight to make transgender discrimination legal may make all sex discrimination legal again

Clayton County6 which interpreted sex discrimination to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. While executive orders have not been the only source of protection for LGBTQ federal employees and employees of federal contractors, they provide a clear statement that discrimination and harassment against LGBTQ workers is prohibited, help prevent such discrimination and harassment, and provide additional enforcement mechanisms for those who have experienced discrimination or harassment.

Federal employees, the employees of most trump asks to fire workers for being gay contractors and subcontractors, and employees of the United States Postal Service are also protected by Title VII. Constitution protects federal employees from sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, 9 and many employees of federal contractors would also be protected by state and local laws that include these characteristics.

On January 21,President Trump issued an executive order revoking protections for transgender federal government employees and LGBTQ employees of federal contractors and subcontractors. The order also limited the responsibilities of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, a division of the Department of Labor that enforced non-discrimination protection pertaining to employees of federal contractors and subcontractors.

Notably, across all six primary measures of lifetime experiences of discrimination and harassment, transgender and nonbinary employees reported higher rates than cisgender employees, people of color reported higher rates than white employees, and those who were out reported higher rates than those who were out to no one in the workplace.

Further, Williams Institute research has also explored the workplace experiences of LGBTQ public sector employees, including federal employees. Prior Williams Institute research has shown that patterns of discrimination and harassment in the public sector are similar to those in the private sector.

In addition to the Williams Institute reports, the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey shows the vulnerability of transgender federal employees in particular. For example:. Most LGBTQ employees have multiple marginalized identities because of their race, sex, gender, religion, disability status, and other personal characteristics.

Protections from discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity provided by executive orders are important to hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ federal employees and employees of federal contractors and subcontractors. The order will have a particularly severe impact on transgender and nonbinary workers and LGBTQ people with multiple marginalized identities.

Download the full brief. Contents Download Share. Overview Highlights Brief. Full Brief. Copy link Facebook Twitter LinkedIn. The order reverses protections for trans federal government employees and LGBTQ employees of federal contractors. Workplace discrimination and harassment against LGBTQ employees continue to be persistent and widespread.

Background and Legal Landscape Until Januaryfederal employees and employees of federal contractors and subcontractors were expressly protected from sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination under executive orders issued by Presidents Clinton 4 and Obama.

Rescinding Executive Order Executive Order was issued by President Johnson in and has been amended over time to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, and national origin, as well as sexual orientation and gender identity. On January 21, President Trump issued an executive order revoking Executive Orderas amended to include protections from sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination.

The new executive order not only removes protections for LGBTQ employees of federal contractors and subcontractors but also protections from discrimination based on race, religion, sex, and national origin. Executive Orderissued by President Obama inamended two prior executive orders to extend protections from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Executive Order also amended Executive Orderwhich protects federal government employees from discrimination based on personal characteristics.