Poll: Only 13% of Americans know gays do not have federal discrimination protections
A large majority of Americans are currently unaware that gay and lesbian people are not protected against discrimination under the workplace, a poll has found.
YouGov and the Huffington Post conducted a survey which found that a majority of Americans are unaware gays and lesbians are not protected under federal from discrimination.
69% believed it was illegal to fire someone for being gay or lesbian under federal law, 18% were unsure. Just 13% of those surveyed knew gays and lesbians do not have federally protected job security.
US President Barack Obama plans to sign an executive order to outlaw anti-gay discrimination among federal contractors, as the broader Employment Non-Discrimination Act has been stalled by Republicans in the House of Representatives since 2013.
The bill bans government contractors from discrimination against employees and applicants for their sexual orientation or gender identity.
According to the same poll, 50% of Americans support this ban on discrimination, 11% somewhat opposed and 31% strongly opposed the federal bill against workplace discrimination.
