Further Amendments to Executive Order 11478, Equal Employment Opportunity in the Federal Government, and Executive Order 11246, Equal Employment Opportunity
Expands Federal Protections for Employees and Contractors to Gender Identity
What it does
Federal contractors and agencies must prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and the Secretary of Labor must issue implementing regulations within 90 days.
Real-world impact
- Extends nondiscrimination protections to people based on gender identity.
- Requires the Secretary of Labor to issue implementing rules within 90 days.
- Applies updated nondiscrimination terms to new federal contracts after rules take effect.
Topics
Summary
This order adds "gender identity" alongside "sexual orientation" to federal nondiscrimination rules for government employment and federal contracting. It changes earlier executive orders so that discrimination on those bases is prohibited in hiring and in contracts.
The Secretary of Labor must prepare regulations within 90 days to implement these changes. The updated contracting protections apply to contracts made after the Labor rules take effect. The order says this will help prohibit discrimination and promote economy and efficiency in federal procurement.
Questions, answered
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