Good--still a long way to go, but maybe we're at least moving in the right 
direction again!
Ronnie

On Sun, 9 Nov 2008, shelley park wrote:

> I agree with everyone that there are clearly still some serious civil rights
> struggles to be fought in the wake of this election (including recognition
> of and benefits for same-sex couples and families and including universal
> health care that doesn't tie this most basic of rights to any kind of
> marital or partnership status or even to employment).  But, on the good news
> front--as I refuse to abandon my optimism this week!--Obama is showing early
> signs of working towards taking glbt struggles seriously, as reported by the
> palm beach county human rights council below.  (And, yes, this doesn't begin
> to address the political hot potato of recognizing glbt partnerships and
> families--but it is still quite remarkable, given that no other president
> has dared to do even this much, to my knowledge.)
> Shelley
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Palm Beach County Human Rights Council <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Sat, Nov 8, 2008 at 11:48 AM
> Subject: Obama Administration to Ban Discrimination Against GLBT Employees
> in Executive Branch
> To: [log in to unmask]
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>     *Obama Transition Team Includes Ban on Discrimination Against GLBT
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> Transition Team Protects Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in New
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>
> November 8, 2008
>
> The Obama-Biden Transition team has included both sexual orientation and
> gender identity in its non-discrimination policy for applicants for
> employment in the incoming Obama administration.
>
> Although President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 11478, which
> prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, there are no
> explicit federal protections from gender identity bias in government
> hiring.
>
> "By including sexual orientation and gender identity in its
> non-discrimination policy, the Obama-Biden transition team makes clear that
> it will focus on the relevant qualities that actually predict an applicant's
> success on the job - professional experience, character, skills and
> education," said Christopher Anders, Senior Legislative Counsel of the
> American Civil Liberties Union.  "President-elect Obama and Vice
> President-elect Biden, by explicitly rejecting the bigotry and intolerance
> of the past, are committing that gay, lesbian, and transgender professionals
> can serve in government without fear of discrimination."
>
> "In light of the Obama transition team's inclusion of both sexal orientation
> and gender identity in its hiring policies, the Palm Beach County Human
> Rights Council is hopeful that the next Congress will pass a gender-identity
> inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act," said Council President Rand
> Hoch.
>
> To view the Obama-Biden Transition Non-Discrimination Policy, click
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> -- 
> Dr. Shelley Park
> Department of Philosophy
> University of Central Florida
>