By CHRIS JOHNSON, Washington Blade
Dec 19 2008, 1:32 PM |
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Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese has set a timetable for President-elect Barack Obama to take action on certain gay-related initiatives.
The petition detailing the timetable comes days after gay activists criticized Obama for selecting Rick Warren, a pastor who was a strong proponent of Proposition 8 in California, to give an invocation at the inauguration festivities on Jan. 20.
“The Presidential Inaugural Committee may not change their minds on Rev. Warren,” Solmonese said, “but President-elect Obama can turn the corner on this controversy by officially committing to … a concrete plan for LGBT equality.”
Solmonese called the plan “HRC’s Blueprint for Positive Change.”
Initiatives that Solmonese urged Obama to take on in the timetable include:
• Issuing an executive order within the first 100 days of his administration to reaffirm protections for federal workers based on sexual orientation while expanding them to include gender identity.
• Working with Congress to enact hate crimes legislation within 6 months.
• Developing a plan within 100 days to begin the process of repealing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law, which prohibits openly gay people from serving in the military.
Solmonese also urged Obama to with work Congress to end unequal tax treatment of domestic partnerships benefits and to enact an employment non-discrimination law that includes transgender protections, but the HRC president did give not give the president-elect a timeline to approve this legislation.
The petition, which others can sign to send to Obama, can be found online at www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/positivechange.
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