(Reuters) - President Barack Obama will sign an executive order on Monday barring federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, the White House said on Friday.
The order does not include new exemptions for religious organizations, a fact that was cheered by gay rights activists.
Some religious leaders had pressed Obama for added flexibility in executing the rules, but senior administration officials said that had not been granted.
Instead, protections already allowed for religious entities from previous non-discrimination rules were left in place but not expanded.
Religious organization would be barred from making hiring decisions based on sexual orientation or gender identity, but exceptions would be allowed for ministers, and groups would be allowed to favor individuals of a particular religion.
"We're so proud today of the decision made by the Obama administration to resist the calls by a small number of right-wing conservatives to insert religious exemptions into civil rights protections," said Heather Cronk, director of GetEqual, an activist organization.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters on Friday that Obama's action would update two previous orders about discrimination already on the books.
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