Agencies release new guide on rights of LGBT feds

Agencies have released a new guide for LGBT workers who want to know their rights or file discrimination complaints.

The Office of Personnel Management, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Office of Special Counsel and the Merit Systems Protection Board released a new guide that reflects new guidance, recent court decisions and new laws that have strengthened protections for federal workers.

The EEOC has also issued several decisions in recent years holding that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals may bring valid Equal Employment Opportunity claims in the federal sector.

The guide, "Addressing Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination in Federal Civilian Employment: A Guide to Employment Rights, Protections, and Responsibilities," can be found at www.opm.gov/LGBTGuide.

Katherine Archuleta, director of the Office of Personnel Management, said one of her highest priorities at OM is to recruit and retain top talent from among the diversity of the American people.

We need all of our employees to be focused on making the most of their skills and their ingenuity, rather than worrying about losing their job or not getting promoted due to discrimination," said Archuleta said. "This guide is an important resource for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender members of our Federal family."

The guide provides federal workers with a description of employee rights and agency responsibilities under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, and other agency and union procedures. It also offers a comparison table showing differences between procedures available at the EEOC and OSC.

Jenny Yang, the chairwoman of the EEOC, said reissuing the guide is critical given all the developments that have occurred over the last 10 years.

"It illustrates, in plain terms, the breadth of protections available to victims of LGBT discrimination in federal employment and should serve as an invaluable resource to all federal employees."

The guide will also help to eliminate confusion among federal workers and supervisors with respect to workplace protections, according to MSPB chairwoman Susan Tsui Grundmann.

"Since the MSPB's mission is to safeguard, protect and promote the merit principles, which includes fair and equitable treatment in all aspects of personnel management without regard to discrimination, we support this guide as a helpful tool that will better educate and inform the federal workforce and applicants about the full range of options under current law."

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