IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 14, 2012
CONTACT: Jacob Tobia at (919) 741-7696 (cell) or Adrienne Harreveld at alh57@duke.edu
On Behalf of NC Colleges, Three Duke Students Ask Obama to signENDA Executive Order at annual White House LGBT Reception.
Despite Support from 73% of Likely Voters, Senior White House Staff Previously Announced This
Executive Order Would Not be Signed ―At This Time.‖
WASHINGTON, DC
–
Tomorrow, June 15 at 4:00 P.M., President Barack Obama will convene a White House reception to celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, andthree Duke students who were invited to the reception plan to hand-deliver a letter written by Duke Junior Jacob Tobia to the President, along with signatures from both NC College Democratschapters and LGBT Student organizations across the state, urging him to sign an Executive Orderbanning anti-LGBT workplace harassment and discrimination at companies that hold federalcontracts.
The three Duke Students, Junior Jacob Tobia, Senior Elena Botella, and Sophomore Adrienne Harreveld will be available outside the Southeast Gate Entrance to the WhiteHouse from 1:30pm until 3:30 pm on Friday, June 15
th
for press interviews
The entire text of Tobia
’s letter to President Obama can be found on the Huffington Post:
In his letter, Tobia states that ―
Companies in the United States should not be allowed todiscriminate on the basis of an employee's sexual orientation or gender identity
…By issuing an
executive order that bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, you
can protect millions of talented, productive, and passionate employees in an instant.‖
Furthermorethe letter asserts
that ―For many of us who are about to enter the job market, the fact that we can
lose
our livelihood because we are part of the LGBT community is a concern that is all too real.‖
The letter also states that, ―
if you do choose to issue an executive order that protects LGBTemployees from discrimination, we, like millions of Americans across the country, will stand by your
side in November.‖
―I don’t get the chance to meet the President of the United States everyday, so I figured that, whenI did, I should say something that mattered.‖ said Tobia, Director of LGBTQ Policy for Duke
Student Government, about delivering the letter to Obama.
―The centerpiece of the American dream stems from economic opportunity. If the federalgovernment does not protect the rights of LGBT workers, it’s not just an LGBT issue —
it's a fight
for all of us.‖ said
Adrienne Harreveld, Co-President of Duke Democrats
―Taxpayer dollars should never be used to support businesses that discriminate against gay and
lesbian Americans i
n their hiring practices,‖ said
Elena Botella President of College Democrats of North Carolina, one of the three students who will deliver the letter.
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On Behalf of NC Colleges, Three Duke Students Ask Obama to Sign ENDA Executive Order at Annual White House LGBT Reception
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