The following statement can be attributed to Aaron Belkin, director of
the Palm Center:

“Scholarly research suggests that many members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community encounter discrimination in the work place, that the consequences of such discrimination can be significant at the personal level and in terms of compromising the work environment, and that legal and regulatory prohibitions against discrimination would make an important contribution by reducing the frequency of discriminatory behavior. At some future point, Congress may enact the Employment Nondiscrimination Act into law, but in the current political environment, progress has been difficult to achieve. Given the frequency of discrimination, the challenging political environment in Congress, and the President’s increasing willingness to use executive action to solve pressing national problems, some LGBT leaders have called on the President to sign an executive order prohibiting workplace discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender persons. The research supports the notion that if the President were to pursue this option, the lives of many people would be improved, and that the business community as well as federal agencies that hire private-sector vendors would benefit financially.”