On December 9, 2014, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) within the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a final rule implementing the President’s July 2014 Executive Order 13672, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The rule requires contractors and subcontractors to add “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” to the Equal Opportunity Clause and to their solicitations or advertisements for employment, but it does not require them to solicit such information from applicants or employees, to set placement goals, or to maintain or analyze any data on those categories. Companies that wish to learn more about this rule might be interested in a December 5 open forum hosted by DOL and DOL’s Frequently Asked Questions regarding this rule. In response to questions from industry about the rule, a DOL spokesperson indicated additional meetings with stakeholders will be scheduled and further guidance will be issued.
