Will Obama’s jobs speech be LGBT-inclusive?

With the nation awaiting President Obama’s jobs speech later this week, some advocates are hoping for a mention of employment protections for LGBT workers.

Justin Tanis, spokesperson for the San Francisco-based Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, said the Thursday speech before a joint session of Congress is “absolutely” an opportunity for Obama to address the absence of federal protections for LGBT workers.

“I think any serious plan to get Americans back to work has to look at the forces that are keeping Americans from working — and it’s clear that homophobia and transphobia are still very present in the lives of LGBT people,” Tanis said. “As long as our country fails to address those, discrimination is going to continue.”

While some states have laws that prohibit employers from discriminating against LGBT workers, in many places these protections are non-existent. Firing a person based on sexual orientation is legal in 29 states, while firing someone based on gender identity is legal in 35 states.

http://www.washingtonblade.com/2011/09/06/will-obamas-jobs-speech-be-lgbt-inclusive/

n/t

:mad:

So it is, of course, out of the questions.

Does he have anything to gain from it being so?

It's the least he could do in pushing EDNA.