WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden issued two sweeping executive orders Wednesday evening directing the federal government to advance racial equity and support for underserved communities, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, and building on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County to ensure that the federal government interprets Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as prohibiting workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The nondiscrimination order also directs agencies to take all lawful steps to make sure that federal anti-discrimination statutes that cover sex discrimination prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, released the following statement from Executive Director Rick Chavez Zbur:
“As candidates, President Biden and Vice President Harris promised to be champions for the LGBTQ+ community. We were proud to support their campaign because we knew they believed in a world that is healthy, just and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people and were ready to create that world. On their very first day, the Biden-Harris Administration is already hard at work delivering on that promise — and I know they’re just getting started. “These day-one executive orders will positively impact the lives of millions of LGBTQ+ people, and members of the diverse communities to which we belong, in California and across the United States. In the days, months and years to come, we look forward to working with this new administration to realize our goal of full, lived equality for all LGBTQ+ people.”
“As candidates, President Biden and Vice President Harris promised to be champions for the LGBTQ+ community. We were proud to support their campaign because we knew they believed in a world that is healthy, just and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people and were ready to create that world. On their very first day, the Biden-Harris Administration is already hard at work delivering on that promise — and I know they’re just getting started.
“These day-one executive orders will positively impact the lives of millions of LGBTQ+ people, and members of the diverse communities to which we belong, in California and across the United States. In the days, months and years to come, we look forward to working with this new administration to realize our goal of full, lived equality for all LGBTQ+ people.”
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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
