It is now illegal for business that contract with the federal government to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Department of Labor published the new rule Dec. 3, implementing an LGBT non-discrimination order signed by President Obama in July. The rule takes effect 120 days from the publish date.
“The publication of this rule is another landmark moment in the ongoing fight for workplace dignity and fairness for LGBT Americans,” said Laura W. Murphy, director of the American Civil Liberties Union Washington Legislative Office, in a media release. “These critical, long overdue protections – covering approximately 20 percent of the entire labor force – build on a bipartisan tradition dating back over 70 years of prohibiting taxpayer-funded discrimination.”
