Joe.My.God. LGBT News
Unlike his Obama administration predecessor, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has omitted sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes in his 2017 employment anti-discrimination policy statement. Here’s what the pertinent section now says:
The Department of Commerce does not tolerate behavior, harassment, discrimination or prejudice based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability. We will also provide reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. Retaliation against those who initiate discrimination complaints, serve as witnesses or participate in the EEO process, or otherwise oppose discrimination and harassment is strictly prohibited.
Using the Wayback Machine, we can see the 2016 statement issued by Obama’s Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. Bolding is mine:
The Department of Commerce does not tolerate discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age (40 years of age and over), genetic information, or disability (physical or mental), including the provision of reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities or genetic information. Retaliation against those who initiate discrimination complaints, serve as witnesses, or otherwise oppose discrimination and harassment is strictly prohibited.
Ross, a billionaire former banker and Democratic fundraiser, only became a registered Republican in November 2016 after supporting Trump during the campaign. As far as I know, Ross has no history of being publicly anti-LGBT and actually helped launch the now-defunct New York Blade, a NYC-based arm of the Washington Blade.
At this writing, sexual orientation and gender identity remain listed as protected classes on the employment sections of the websites for the Education Department and the Transportation Department.
Over at the State Department, I can find mention of sexual orientation employment protections, but not gender identity. Feel free to dig into the websites of other federal agencies and let us know what you find.
(Tipped by JMG reader Rudy)