Friday, November 14, 2008

Non-discrimination policy in Obama hiring

...the transition office of President-elect Barack Obama has issued a non-discrimination policy including sexual orientation and gender identity:

"The Obama-Biden Transition Project does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or any other basis of discrimination prohibited by law," says the website of the Office of the President-elect...

While Executive Order 13087, signed by President Clinton in 1998 to amend President Nixon's Executive Order 11478, prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in hiring for the federal civilian workforce, it does not mention gender identity. "The inclusion of gender identity is a bold departure from the past," said ACLU Senior Legislative Counsel Christopher E. Anders, "and it sends a clear message."


Wonder if General Convention would be willing to add gender identity to the non-discrimination Canon?

6 comments:

James said...

What a glorious statement from our president-elect's transition team.

Perhaps a new era truly is dawning.

June Butler said...

Wonder if General Convention would be willing to add gender identity to the non-discrimination Canon?

Ann, wouldn't that be great?

Someone who is in a position to know told me that the Bush White House staff included many gays. They simply kept them in the closet, but it was apparently a large closet.

Anonymous said...

Congressman Barney Frank (*) reports that Dubya told him to give "all the best" to his partner, by name...

...but then turned around and ruined the moment, by snarking "See how 'tolerant' I am?" (Blech)


(*) Whom I'm pissed off at, re the topic of this thread: throwing Trans people under-the-bus, by cutting us out of ENDA. >:-0

James said...

I was not aware that transgendered people were removed from the EDNA. :(

Anonymous said...

ENDA: Employment Non-Discrimination Act ("Edna" is as in "Dame"! ;-D)

Yup, that was Barney Frank's doing (w/ support from HRC). Seems we Trans were just "freaks too far", as far as the Power-Gays go (even though it was known ENDA would never get out of the Senate/Dubya would veto it anyway)

Of course, now (soon) we have have a President who WILL sign ENDA...

...but I'm oh-so-afraid Ts will get left out in the cold again (literally: first fired, last hired, in this economy :-( )

Anonymous said...

T and LGBT groups need to identify some T constituents willing to lobby their rep and senator, train them on protocol (dress in a business-like manner, call the politician Sen X or Rep X, thank both the politician and the staff on the way out) and in deciding on and delivering a message in 2 to 3 minutes, prepare and print several copies of a "fast facts" sheet (one piece of paper) and a resource list for the staffer to use, have them make appointments in the home district at recess or in DC (for some Sens or Reps you may need to make topic of meeting vague "citizens concerned about unemployment/ underemployment). After the visit, tell the T or LGBT group how the Sen or Rep reacted.

Newbies tend to think it is hard to talk with their Rep or Sen, and some politicians will give the runaround when they realize that constituents X,Y,Z are there on behalf of some issue the Rep or Sen doesn't want to deal with. But many will not. Politicians are busy during session, hence the need to stick to a short message:
Bill X is coming up for a vote.
We urge you to vote a particular way.
This is why: a few general facts, a short personal story illustrating how lack of Bill X has harmed you in the past.(hand fast fact sheet to Sen or Rep, hand packet containing fast fact sheet, resource sheet, and explanatory pamphlet (trans 101) to staffer).
Any questions, Rep or Sen X? Thank you very much for your time..

Without exception, first time constituent lobbyists say that it was so easy, they don't know why they felt intimidated.*

NancyP

*in the case of state legislators, sometimes they say, "I could do their job".