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Federal Contractor or Not, Workers Can Stand Up for Rights

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On April 8, the President’s Executive Order explicitly banning anti-LGBT bias by federal government contractors goes into effect. This new protection sends a clear message to companies that employee millions of Americans—discrimination against LGBT workers won’t be tolerated.

What about the millions more who don’t work for federal contractors? They are still vulnerable. While the Justice Department, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and numerous courts are now saying that federal sex discrimination laws protect LGBT workers. We strongly urge anyone experiencing workplace discrimination—no matter where you live—to seek legal help, because it is more likely than ever that you can do something about it.

But that protection is not explicit: you won’t find it spelled out in the United States Code or in most job postings or employee handbooks. Most states haven’t spelled it out either. That means more workers and most employers don’t know there’s any protection at all. Only clear state and national laws will stop discrimination before it happens. And NCTE will keep pressing until it’s passed.

Until we have a clear national law, we urge all workers to consult our Know Your Rights center and seek legal help if they face discrimination.

If you are an employee of a federal contractor and would like to learn more about how the LGBT non-discrimination order affects you, the Department of Labor is offering free webinars on April 8 and 9. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which is responsible for ensuring federal contractors and subcontractors comply with the Executive Order, will share information about the new rules, describe how to file complaints if a federal contractor violates these rules, and provide additional resources for employees. If you’d like to participate, follow this link to register for April 8, and this link to register for April 9.​

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