994 May 28 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1998 try to mobilize your friends and the people Government by adding sexual orientation to that are affiliated with it, first of all, think the list of categories for which discrimination about how this is a specific example of the is prohibited in Executive Order 11478 (i.e., kind of challenges we face at this moment race, color, religion, sex, national origin, in our historyÐall this technology, all these handicap, or age). changes, everything going on. And it is fun- This Executive order states administration damentally the test of a decent society and policy but does not and cannot create any certainly a great democracy like ours that we new enforcement rights (such as the ability embrace all the changes that are going on, to proceed before the Equal Employment but we do it in a way consistent with the Opportunity Commission). Those rights can basic values that got us where we are over be granted only by legislation passed by the the last 220 years. Secondly, remember to Congress, such as the Employment Non-Dis- put a human face on it, and remember every crimination Act. I again call upon Congress day that goes by that this bill does not passÐ to pass this important piece of civil rights leg- every single day somewhere in America islation which would extend these basic em- there's another story like Ricka's. There ployment discrimination protections to all ought not to ever be another one, and with gay and lesbian Americans. Individuals your help we can stop it. should not be denied a job on the basis of Thank you, and God bless you. something that has no relationship to their ability to perform their work. NOTE: The President spoke at 10:50 a.m. in Room 450 of the Old Executive Office Building. In his remarks, he referred to Ricka Powers, breast can- Executive Order 13087ÐFurther cer patient who introduced the President; and Re- Amendment to Executive Order gina Benjamin, M.D., member, board of trustees, American Medical Association. 11478, Equal Employment Opportunity in the Federal Government Statement on Signing an Executive May 28, 1998 Order on Equal Employment Opportunity in the Federal By the authority vested in me as President Government by the Constitution and the laws of the May 28, 1998 United States, and in order to provide for a uniform policy for the Federal Government Today I have signed an Executive order to prohibit discrimination based on sexual entitled ``Further Amendment to Executive orientation, it is hereby ordered that Execu- Order 11478, Equal Employment Oppor- tive Order 11478, as amended, is further tunity in the Federal Government.'' The amended as follows: order provides a uniform policy for the Fed- Section 1. The first sentence of section eral Government to prohibit discrimination 1 is amended by substituting ``age, or sexual based on sexual orientation in the Federal orientation'' for ``or age''. civilian workforce and states that policy for Sec. 2. The second sentence of section 1 the first time in an Executive order of the is amended by striking the period and adding President. at the end of the sentence ``, to the extent It has always been the practice of this ad- permitted by law.''. ministration to prohibit discrimination in em- William J. Clinton ployment based on sexual orientation in the civilian workforce, and most Federal agen- The White House, cies and departments have taken actions, May 28, 1998. such as the issuance of policy directives or memoranda from the agency heads, to me- [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., June 1, 1998] morialize that policy. The Executive order I have signed today will ensure that there is NOTE: This Executive order will be published in a uniform policy throughout the Federal the Federal Register on June 2. VerDate 03-JUN-98 08:56 Jun 03, 1998 Jkt 010199 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 W:\DISC\P22MY4.028 INET01 PsN: INET01.