Obama declines action on anti-gay discrimination from contractors

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-obama-declines-action-on-antigay-discrimination-from-contractors-20120412,0,7737562.story

Rejecting pressure from gay rights activists, President Obama has decided not issue an executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating on the basis on sexual orientation, his spokesman said Thursday.

Obama “is committed to securing equal rights” for gays and lesbians, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said. But he added that for now the president would pursue a slower path on the issue.

Carney said Obama would continue to push for passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would provide broader protection.

“The approach we're taking at this time is to try to build support for passage of this legislation, a comprehensive approach to legislate on the issue of nondiscrimination,” Carney said.

The news outraged some activists, who have taken up the issue as a major priority since the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell" -- the law that barred gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. With Republicans in control of the House, an anti-discrimination law is unlikely to pass.

Despite enjoying strong support from gay and lesbian voters and donors, the president has had a sometimes rocky relationship with gay rights activists who have pushed him to move further and faster on their issues. He took a slower approach to repealing the “don’t ask” law than many wanted. And he is under fresh pressure to endorse gay marriage, an issue on which he says he is “evolving,” as the Democratic Party crafts its 2012 platform.