Arjun Singh Sethi, a D.C. based attorney and civil-rights commentator, wrote this piece for Al Jazeera English on March 12, 2013.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/03/2013351118285958.htmlSethi writes about how Obama needs to enact an executive order to expand protections for LGBT workers, and writes about how employment discrimination affects LGBT workers, trans* employees in particular.
"In his first term, President Obama embraced his authority as chief-executive and promulgated numerous executive orders. Here, he is presented with a rare and momentous opportunity: the chance to advance the cause of equality in American democracy. An order expanding protections for LGBT workers is clearly within his constitutional power and would pass judicial review. Executive orders are rarely challenged, and only twice in its history has the Supreme Court struck one down. Significantly, neither case implicated anti-discrimination efforts. "
The Obama Administration argues that an executive order would undermine broad based reforms and reforms should go through Congress, but given political gridlock, Sethi says an executive order is the way to go, and polls show that most Americans favor contractors being penalized for discriminating against LGBTs.
