President Donald Trump won’t roll back federal workplace protections for the LGBTQ community, according to the Associated Press.
The White House said in a statement released Tuesday that Obama’s 2014 executive order prohibiting LGBTQ workplace discrimination would remain intact “at the direction” of Trump.
The announcement comes hours before Trump is scheduled to announce his pick for the Supreme Court, who would have a say in potential court challenges to gay marriage rights if confirmed by the Senate.
“President Trump continues to be respectful and supportive of LGBTQ rights, just as he was throughout the election,” according to the White House statement. “The president is proud to have been the first ever GOP nominee to mention the LGBTQ community in his nomination acceptance speech, pledging then to protect the community from violence and oppression.”
The Supreme Court legalized same sex marriage in 2015, but some states are actively trying to restrict the scope of the decision.
The LGBTQ community — which includes people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer — has been protected from discrimination while working for federal contractors, thanks to an executive order from Obama in 2014.
Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin told the AP he feels Trump “has left the key question unanswered,” asking, “Will he commit to opposing any executive actions that allow government employees, taxpayer-funded organizations or even companies to discriminate?”