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Loading ...Obama administration set to extend protection to transgender federal employees
06.25.2009 2:00pm EDT
(Washington) The New York Times reported yesterday that the Obama administration is drafting guidelines that would provide protection for transgender federal employees against discrimination.
These guidelines, which would be the first of their kind on a federal level, will list those who identify their gender differently from the information on their birth certificates as among several groups protected by antidiscrimination laws.“The president is making a very clear statement that transgender people won’t be discriminated against,” said Mara Keisling, the executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. The group has been discussing the guidelines with Obama’s administration and joins other transgender and gay rights activists in rejoice over the news.
The new guidelines will expand upon the civil service law that prevents an employer federal supervisor from taking action against an employee based on anything other than job performance, such as “race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicapping condition, marital status or political affiliation.”
Read the full New York Times article here.
Now it is time to change the policy in the Veterans Administration hospital system. currently it reads No Gender reassignment services or surgeries. Hopefully this will change.
Note that this just extends to Trans people the same rights that Gay Federal employees have had since President Carter.
There’s no plans to ever give Trans people the same rights as Gays when it comes to the military, even if DADT is repealed.
So they can draft guidlines to end discrimination against transgender fed. employees, but they can’t draft guidlines to end discrimination against gays/lesbians in the military?
Yes, this new developement is a step in the right direction, but it’s making the administration’s inaction on other LGBT issues look puzzling.
Why only federal employees??? Regular LGBT not good enough to enjoy the same benefits? This is putting more classes and groups and is getting out of control. Why need so many wasteful laws when he can just do away with DOMA and let us all be equal without making anymore complicated laws. JUST MAKE NO SENSE. It is like getting more patches for Windows OS that is getting bigger and more complicated… but problem still exist.
About time. That’s a very nice token gesture. It matters, but it’s another of Obama’s molecular-level gestures of “progress”. I could discover cold fusion in a bottle of stale Dr Pepper before Obama will get off his ass.
I hope that neither Obama nor any of his Administration think this is enough. Obama takes the tiniest bite from a cookie he very clearly does NOT want to eat, but then declares how tasty it is.
If Obama and his staff really mean business on this then they need to remove the transgender exclusion in the insurance and adopt the AMA’s recomendation that we be covered including SRS
We definitely still deserve more action, but considering what is going on in congress now this is by far a more significant action than his hasty limited benefits extension for couples. The signal sent to congress should be clear, the president wants an inclusive version of ENDA. Thank goodness Barney Frank and the HRC have seen the light, now the rest of congress needs to move with haste to put a bill on his desk.
Doesn’t make me willing to wait in line a little longer… to me it just shows that we’ve finally started getting a minute slice of his attention.
Keep on pushing people! We still deserve more action!!
hope they don’t want to get married or join the military…then they will see that this means nothing.
Brad: Not all groups of people should be exempt from discrimination.
You might want to clarify that he should protect groups from discrimination where discriminating against the group would be irrational.
Will this make the gay community willing to wait a little longer? We shall see…
A good start, but please Obama repeal the 20th century laws including DOMA and DADT – please!!!!
Also fully protect ALL groups of people (including race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, color, disability, HIV status, age, gender or gender idenity, sexual orientation, marital status, career status, family status, economic status, etc) from any sort of discrimination and implement hate crimes legislation.
In 2009, all of these are long overdue!!!!!!!!