On behalf of DOJ Pride, (click here) we congratulate you on your appointment as the 85th Attorney General of the United States. Welcome back to the Department of Justice.
DOJ Pride was founded in 1994 to represent the thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) employees and contractors, as well as their allies, who serve the Department each day with professionalism and distinction. We have a history of collaborating with Department leadership to identify and address issues that affect the Department’s LGBTQ employees. We write today to express our desire to work with you and your leadership team to foster a welcoming and inclusive workplace here at the Department.
To further this goal, we raise two related matters that are of present concern to our membership: the Department’s failure to issue an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) statement as required by law, and the declining morale of the LGBTQ workforce.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement An EEO statement is a critical affirmation of an agency’s rights and values. The requirement to issue an EEO statement stems from the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as implemented by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Management Directive 715.1 MD-715 requires the heads of all federal agencies to issue “a written policy statement expressing their commitment to [equal employment opportunity] and a workplace free of discriminatory harassment,”...
...Because MD-715 requires agency heads to issue an EEO statement at the beginning of their tenures—and thereafter on an annual basis—now is the appropriate time to formulate a statement that affirms the Department’s commitment to a workplace free from discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. We are ready to assist in any way we can.
Declining Morale
DOJ Pride surveyed its membership in October 2018 to assess members’ perspectives on working for the Department. The results indicate that morale is low among LGBTQ individuals currently employed in the Department, and that the Department is not recruiting and retaining top LGBTQ talent. The following comments are representative:
● “The DOJ is no longer the welcoming, inclusive environment for LGBTQ employees that it once was.”
● “It’s harder for gay men and trans people to work in the BOP. The BOP definitely does not attract or very often retain gay men and trans people.”
● “Agents attend[ing] the FBI academy that are gay and/or latino are definitely discriminated against and in many cases evaluated more harshly than other new agents and dismissed from the academy.”
● “Please do something about the FBI’s unfair evaluation process at the FBI Academy. There are many gay agents attending that are dismissed because they are not ‘bro-y’ or masculine enough.”
● “I have had many LGBTQ friends either leave the Department or express disinterest in applying to openings in the Department in the first instance.”
● “I am leaving the DOJ in part due to the DOJ’s treatment of its LGBTQ employees.”...
The USA Department of Justice has always maintained high integrity for the diversity that exists in the department. It is time Barr live up to it.
Department of Justice Diversity Management Policy Statement (click here)
The Department of Justice employs more than 115,000 talented and diverse women and men to help meet its mission and goals. We are stronger, more credible, and more effective when our workforce includes highly qualified individuals with backgrounds, cultures and traditions that reflect our Nation’s rich diversity.
We value diversity in our workforce and embrace the cultural and demographic dimensions of our country. We work diligently to attract and retain a workforce that represents the range of personal and professional backgrounds, and experiences and perspectives that arise from differences of culture and circumstances. This includes persons of varying age, ethnicity, gender, disability, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, political affiliation, socioeconomic and family status, and geographic region....
We value diversity in our workforce and embrace the cultural and demographic dimensions of our country. We work diligently to attract and retain a workforce that represents the range of personal and professional backgrounds, and experiences and perspectives that arise from differences of culture and circumstances. This includes persons of varying age, ethnicity, gender, disability, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, political affiliation, socioeconomic and family status, and geographic region....
