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New calls for ENDA directive as White House reception approaches

Will Obama be heckled by attendees seeking workplace protections?

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Citizens Metal, Barack Obama, gay news, Washington Blade
Citizens Metal, Barack Obama, gay news, Washington Blade

President Obama is facing renewed calls for an ENDA executive order. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The absence of federal LGBT workplace non-discrimination protections continues to rile advocates as the White House prepares to welcome members of the LGBT community for a Pride reception.

LGBT advocates told the Washington Blade days before the event they had a singular desire for what they want President Obama to say to attendees ā€” that he’ll sign an executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT workers.

Fred Sainz, vice president of communications for the Human Rights Campaign, recalled Obama’s words during the 2008 presidential campaign as he called on him to announce he’ll sign the executive order.

“Itā€™s been five long years since he made a promise to sign it and itā€™s long past time it gets done,” Sainz said. “This president has done virtually everything right on issues of LGBT equality. Heā€™s been a steadfast ally. Thatā€™s why itā€™s so frustrating to see time go by without his signature on an EO that would protect millions of LGBT workers nationwide.”

The executive order is considered a campaign promise based on a “yes” response that then-candidate Obama gave on a questionnaire to the Houston GLBT Political Caucus indicating he supports a non-discrimination policy for all federal contractors based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Pride reception comes as the LGBT workplace non-discrimination issue has gained prominence ā€” even in mainstream media. Last week, Ellen Sturtz, a lesbian activist affiliated with GetEQUAL, made headlines when she confronted first lady Michelle Obama at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in D.C. and heckled her about the executive order.

Given the media interest in the confrontation last week, it’s possible advocates would pursue the same strategy ā€” this time at an event where the president is slated to appear and one geared specifically for the LGBT community.

Heather Cronk, managing director of GetEQUAL, said her organization is planning “an action” for this week when asked whether her organization is doing something for the Pride reception. She declined to elaborate.

Shin Inouye, a White House spokesperson, offered few details via email when asked what Obama intends to say at the Pride reception.

“On Thursday, the President will deliver remarks at the LGBT Pride Month celebration at the White House,” Inouye said.

Tico Almeida, president of Freedom to Work, took the liberty of crafting a speech for Obama.

“When I first campaigned for president, I promised ā€“Ā in writingĀ ā€“ to take executive action preventing federal contractors like ExxonMobil from wasting taxpayer money by discriminating against LGBT Americans,” Almeida said he hoped Obama would say. “For five years youā€™ve waited for me to do whatā€™s right ā€“ sometimes patientlyĀ and sometimes not. … Iā€™m sorry weā€™ve moved too slowly on this promise, but the good news is I brought a pen with me today.”

As pressure mounts on Obama to sign the executive order, members of the LGBT community from across the country are slated to make an appearance at the Pride reception on Thursday.

In a statement on June 3, Daryl Justin Finizio, mayor of New London, Conn., announced on his Facebook page he was set to attend the reception along with his spouse, Todd Ledbetter.

“My partner and I are moved by this invitation and are very grateful to President Obama for doing so much to support equal rights for all Americans,” Finizio said. “Weā€™re proud to attend and represent our progressive city and its broad and diverse community of people from different nationalities, religions and genders.”

Also slated to attend the reception is the first gay couple legally married in Michigan, according to MLive.com. Gene Barfield and his spouse, Tim LaCroix, wereĀ married in March in the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians reservation after being together 30 years.Ā Their marriage isn’t recognized by the state itself, which has a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Barfield, who marched on the White House and returned his service medals from his time in the U.S. Navy in protest of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” reportedly said he was shocked to receive the invitation.

“We’re always going to be in shock about this,”Ā Barfield said.Ā ā€œThe fact that there is going to be an LGBT celebration at the White House, times change, times change.”

According to Los Angeles Times, also planning to attend the reception isĀ Rev. R. Guy Erwin, who was recently elected the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s first openly gay bishop.Ā Bishop-elect Erwin was elected last month to a six-year term in the church’s Southwest California Synod, which includes the greater Los Angeles area.

Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force said she wants the president to announce at the reception he’ll issue a directive to protect LGBT employees.

“We want to see him honor Pride month by ending the daily fear experienced by millions of Americans of losing their livelihoods because of who they are or who they love,” Carey said.

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National

Antony Blinken, USAID mark World AIDS Day

Officials reiterate Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to end pandemic

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(Bigstock photo)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the U.S. Agency for International Development on Sunday marked World AIDS Day.

Blinken in his statement echoed the Biden-Harris administration’s call “for collective action with partners around the world to sustain and accelerate the great progress we have made toward ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.”

“Over the past four years, the State Department has worked tirelessly to save lives through the Presidentā€™s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR),” the statement reads. “In partnership with foreign governments, PEPFAR has changed the trajectory of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and now supports more than 20 million people on lifesaving treatment across 55 countries around the world. Independent analyses have documented a direct link of this lifesaving work to economic growth across PEPFAR partner countries. Bipartisan action on a clean, five-year reauthorization of PEPFAR is essential to ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat and to implementing the programā€™s plans to sustain success over the long term through partner country and community-led and managed programs.”

Blinken further stressed World AIDS Day “is a day to remember the more than 42 million lives lost to HIV/AIDS ā€” a stark reminder of the threat this virus continues to pose if we do not ensure that partner countries have the vision and capacity to sustain a bold response.”

“We must continue to chart a course together that will help communities stay safe and prosperous by ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat,” he said.

USAID spokesperson Benjamin Suarato in a statement echoed Blinken.

“Each year, we observe World AIDS Day to honor people living with and affected by HIV, remember those we have lost, and recommit to ending HIV as a public health threat by 2030,” said Suarato. “For decades, USAID has worked to support those affected by HIV, as well as the health workers, scientists, researchers, advocates, and communities dedicated to the HIV response.”

Suarato noted this year’s World AIDS Day’s theme, “Collective Action: Sustain and Accelerate HIV Progress,” “underscores the long-term leadership of the United States to galvanize global solidarity and make critical investments to reduce HIV transmission, improve access to treatment, and advance transformative partnerships to sustain a locally-led HIV response.” Suarato also highlighted PEPFAR has saved “more than 25 million lives and helped more than 5.5 million babies to be born HIV-free across 55 countries.”

“We recognize that ending HIV as a public health threat requires enduring cooperation with partner country governments, civil society, faith-based, and other non-governmental organizations, researchers, and scientists,” said Suarato. “It also requires us to continue to elevate the leadership of communities and individuals living with and affected by HIV. On this World AIDS Day, USAID reaffirms our dedication to collective action.”

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Sunday will commemorate World AIDS Day at the White House. AIDS Memorial Quilt panels will be shown on the White House’s South Lawn for the first time.

The Washington Blade will have further coverage of the White House commemoration.

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Federal Government

HIV positive patients can now receive organs from HIV positive donors

New HHS rule applies to liver and kidney transplants

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HHS Assistant Health Secretary Adm. Rachel Levine, U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra (Washington Blade photo by Christopher Kane)

A new rule announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will allow HIV positive patients to receive organs from HIV positive donors, a move that will expand the pool of available organs and reduce wait times.

ā€œThis rule removes unnecessary barriers to kidney and liver transplants, expanding the organ donor pool and improving outcomes for transplant recipients with HIV,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement.

The agency noted that the final rule also aims to combat stigma and health inequities associated with HIV.

ā€œResearch shows that kidney and liver transplants between donors and recipients with HIV can be performed safely and effectively,ā€ Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine added. ā€œThis policy change reflects our commitment to following the evidence and updating our approaches as we learn more. By removing research requirements where they are no longer needed, we can help more people with HIV access life-saving transplants.ā€

HHS notes that the rule applies to kidney and liver transplants, which correspond with the areas in which the evidence from biomedical research is the most “robust.”



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Federal Government

LGBTQ federal workers face tough decisions, big worries amid Trump transition

‘I plan to leave after the inauguration’

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(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Donald Trump’s return to the White House promises to shake up Washington in ways not seen even during the norm-shattering Trump 1.0 years: on the table are blueprints for radically reforming the federal civil service into a more partisan institution where loyalty is prized at the expense of expertise and competence; off the table, among other things, are anti-discrimination protections that had long bolstered the rights and welfare of LGBTQ federal government employees.

Washington proudly boasts, per-capita, the highest LGBTQ population of any city in any state in America. Ninety-two percent of the city’s 678,000+ residents voted for Vice President Kamala Harris. So, according to exit polls, did 86 percent of LGBTQ voters.

Many of D.C.’s LGBTQ residents who work for the federal government find themselves, now, at an unenviable crossroads. Some stood to lose their jobs regardless of who won in November because they serve in higher-ranking “political” roles that typically turn over administration-to-administration, but more are “career” employees with experience serving with both parties in charge of the White House.

Many find themselves choosing whether to wade into a hyperlocal job market that is, at the moment, competitive for job seekers ā€” or continue, if they can, working under institutions run by Republicans who have vowed to destroy them (or at least shake them up, whatever that will mean).

The Washington Blade has spoken with LGBTQ employees in the federal government who worry about the welfare of gay, queer, and trans colleagues they plan to leave behind for jobs in the private sector. They share a deep concern, too, for the LGBTQ Americans who, they believe, will suffer harmful consequences of policy and governance under the incoming administration.

A lesbian attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice and a gay senior official for the U.S. Department of Commerce spoke anonymously with the Blade to share experiences and observations at their respective agencies.

Do you expect to be working elsewhere when Trump 2.0 begins in January

[Justice Department]: I plan to leave shortly after the inauguration.

[Commerce Department]: I hope to be working elsewhere by the next term. The job market is incredibly competitive, but thatā€™s because the Biden administration hired the best and brightest public servants that represent every community in America. Itā€™s particularly important that companies and nonprofits seek out the great early/mid-career staff from the administration. Many finished college remotely during the pandemic, to then immediately serve their country. They have exceptional work experience, but can be at a hiring disadvantage behind their classmates who immediately entered the workforce.

Would you be (or might you be) allowed to continue in your role under the next administration if you wished to do so?

[Justice]: Probably not.

Under the next administration, if you were allowed to continue in your role or serve in a different position at your agency or perhaps work elsewhere in the federal government, would you? Why or why not?

[Justice]: Noā€”risk of doxing is too high; did it once before and not interested in doing it again.

[Commerce]: I would not work in the Trump administration, even if allowed. To work for someone who believes in retribution over public service would violate the oath I took to my country and the Constitution he refuses to respect. I look forward to doing what queer people have done for all of American history: shining brightly in the face of hate and being a success in spite of every attempt to shame.

What can you tell me about the post-election turnover at your agency that youā€™ve seen so far or expect to see in the coming months, as compared to that which you might have experienced during previous transitions?

[Justice]: I expect to see many more people leave than in any previous admin change.

[Commerce]: Experienced career staff who survived the first Trump years are burned out and leaving. This is a horrible loss for the American people who are losing the dedicated subject matter experts who do the hard work of making their lives easier, safer, and healthier. So many of them work for the federal government because of how it can be used to help people in big ways. Theyā€™re horrified to think of all the people, especially minorities, women, and queer people, will, instead, be targeted. They donā€™t want to be a part of that. They canā€™t live with that.

Are any of your LGBTQ colleagues staying in their jobs? If so, what can you share about the reasons youā€™ve heard for their decision to stay?

[Justice]: Yes; many will stay because they donā€™t have the luxury of leaving without a job lined up.Ā 

What are some of your biggest concerns specific to how your agency might be run under the Trump 2.0 regime?

[Justice]: They will dismantle the civil rights division at DOJ or completely shift its focus.Ā 

[Commerce]: I’m horrified at how data may be weaponized against vulnerable people.  So much work has been done to help communities by building close-knit relationships with leaders across the countries. Will all these programs focused on supporting the most vulnerable and underserved among us be turned on them to identify easy targets to victimize? 

Broadly speaking, what concerns do you have about the rights, safety, and wellbeing of LGBTQ folks who will remain in the civil service post-January, or those who might join the federal governmentā€™s civilian workforce after Trump takes over?

[Justice]: LGBTQ+ people will be at greater risk of doxing; bathroom flexibilities will disappear; harassment will go unchecked.

[Commerce]: We are barely out of the shadow of the Lavender Scare, where thousands of queer American public servants were harassed, humiliated, and often fired in shame. It starts with removing Pride flags, then the photos of our partners on our desks, and then weā€™re escorted from the building for being security risks. LGBTQ Americans are the soldiers, and scientists, and civil servants and should never, ever have to worry if their mere existence could suddenly cost them their security clearance, their career path, or their safety.

How do you think staff turnover at your agency will impact its work under the next administration? 

[Justice]: Staff turnover will severely undermine DOJā€™s work and protecting the rule of law.Ā 

If, ultimately, a disproportionate number of LGBTQ workers leave for jobs in the private sector, are you concerned about harms that might result from the loss of voices representing the community in the federal government and/or in your agency specifically?

[Justice]: Re: loss of voices, yes. The federal government cannot function as effectively when it doesnā€™t reflect the public it serves.

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