U.S. President Barack Obama is due to sign two executive orders Monday to prohibit discrimination against gay and transgender government workers.
Mr. Obama announced his plans for the orders last month, saying it is "upsetting" and "wrong" that Americans could go to work fearing they could be fired for being themselves.
The president has been pushing Congress to issue a more sweeping law to apply to workers across the United States, not just those working for the federal government, but that legislation has stalled.
White House officials say the orders Monday will impact 24,000 companies that employ 28 million workers, or about one-fifth of the U.S. workforce.