Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today, the Obama administration took another step toward ensuring equal treatment for all Americans by extending family leave to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-- LGBT--employees. Earlier this year, I praised President Obama for directing the Department of Health and Human Services to issue regulations ensuring hospital visitation rights for same-sex couples. Now these same couples will be treated fairly when their children are sick, injured, or in need of care. Both of these measures promote the value of strong families and enduring relationships. There is a tragic history of discrimination in the workplace, but fortunately, we are making progress to end it. In 1993, Congress passed the Family Medical Leave Act, FMLA, allowing employees to take reasonable unpaid leave for certain family and medical reasons. The FMLA sought to promote equal employment opportunities for men and women. Unfortunately, the benefits of that law were not extended to LGBT families. Under the Department of Labor's new interpretation of ``son or daughter'' under the FMLA, a gay or lesbian employee may now take family and medical leave to care for a newly born, newly adopted, or sick child of the employee's same-sex partner, even if the employee does not have a biological or legal relationship with the child. The fight for equal rights protections continues in Congress.…”