The Department of Justice will sponsor its annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month Program at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, June 6, 2012, in The Great Hall of the Robert F. Kennedy Building.  The theme for this year’s program is “The Power of Out.”  Chai Feldblum, Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, will serve as the keynote speaker.  There will also be special remarks from DOJ Senior Leadership.  DOJ Pride, the Department’s organization of LGBT employees and their allies, will present its Roemer Community Service Award and James R. Douglass Award, and the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company of Washington, D.C. will perform an excerpt from “8:  The Play”.  This play is based on the Federal District court case filed by American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) to overturn Proposition 8, which eliminated gay and lesbian couples’ right to marry in California in 2008.

Help celebrate in the Department’s annual recognition of the accomplishments and contributions of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Americans to the Justice Department and the Nation!

DOJ Pan Asia Employees Association (DOJ Pan Asia), DOJ Pride, DOJ Association of Hispanic Employees for Advancement and Development (DOJ-AHEAD), DOJ Association of Black Attorneys (DOJABA), DOJ Indian Trial Lawyers Association, and the Criminal Division’s Diversity Committee will co-sponsor a conversation with Richard L. Parker, the newly-appointed Deputy Associate Attorney General (DAAG) for Diversity Management, from 12:45 – 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 in the DOJ Civil Rights Division Conference Room (RFK Main Justice Building). 

Prior to his appointment as the new Deputy Associate Attorney General for Diversity Management, Mr. Parker has served the Department of Justice in several capacities, most recently as Special Counsel on Diversity Recruitment and Outreach.  In that role, he served as a member of the Executive Staff of the Attorney General’s Diversity Management Advisory Council.  Mr. Parker initially joined the U.S. Department of Justice in 2006 as a trial attorney with the Appellate Section of the Tax Division.  Throughout his career at DOJ, Mr. Parker has demonstrated an active interest and commitment to supporting and fostering diversity and inclusion, including effective coalition and consensus building, and has drawn upon his more than 20 years of experience in fostering diversity and inclusion in both academic and professional settings.

During this brown bag, Mr. Parker will engage participants in an informal dialogue on diversity and inclusion within the Department.  All employees are welcome.

The DOJ Pride Board of Directors welcomes all members and friends to an open house in the Green Room–adjacent to the Great Hall–on Wednesday, February 8th, from noon until 1:30 p.m.

Stop by, meet the board and other DOJ Pride members, chat with your colleagues, and share your ideas about future events and goals.

Light refreshments and snacks will be served. Hope you can join!

On October 27, 2011, the Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York staff celebrated LGBT History Month. Renowned author and social activist Perry Brass presented a version of LGBT history that mixed his life story with general societal progress on LGBT issues. In 1969, Mr. Brass co-edited Come Out, the first gay liberation newspaper in the world. LGBT Program Manager Paula St. John and LGBT Alternate Program Manager William J. Ryan, Ph.D. moderated the program, which concluded with a question and answer period.

The White House issued an executive order on Thursday, August 18th announcing a Government-wide Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan and efforts.  Noting, “a commitment to equal opportunity, diversity, and inclusion is critical for the Federal Government as an employer.  By law, the Federal Government’s recruitment policies should “endeavor to achieve a work force from all segments of society.”  (5 U.S.C. 2301(b)(1)).  As the Nation’s largest employer, the Federal Government has a special obligation to lead by example.  Attaining a diverse, qualified workforce is one of the cornerstones of the merit-based civil service.”

Adding, “To realize more fully the goal of using the talents of all segments of society, the Federal Government must continue to challenge itself to enhance its ability to recruit, hire, promote, and retain a more diverse workforce.  Further, the Federal Government must create a culture that encourages collaboration, flexibility, and fairness to enable individuals to participate to their full potential.”