Dallas Transit Agency Infuriates LGBT Community
By Neal Broverman
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/06/17/Dallas_Transit_Agency_Infuriates_LGBT_Community/ (http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/06/17/Dallas_Transit_Agency_Infuriates_LGBT_Community/)
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority claims it was trying to be more inclusive by updating its nondiscrimination policy, but many claim the agency is utilizing a loophole to allow discrimination against gay and transgender people.
The updated policy reads as follows: "DART is committed to hiring, promoting and retaining the best qualified persons in all positions and, except to the extent permitted by federal and/or Texas law, DART will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law."
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DART Struggles With Discrimination Policy, And Gay-Rights Advocates Aren't Happy At All
By Robert Wilonsky, Thursday, Jun. 17 2010 @ 3:40PM
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2010/06/dart_struggles_with_discrimina.php (http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2010/06/dart_struggles_with_discrimina.php)
The Dallas Voice has been all over Dallas Area Rapid Transit's rewording of its discrimination policy, which has been altered, it appears, to exclude protection for gay and transgender employees. The Voice has honed in on one word inserted into the policy -- "except."
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Word change in DART's anti-discrimination policy raises questions from gay rights activists
12:00 AM CDT on Friday, June 18, 2010
By MICHAEL A. LINDENBERGER / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-dart_18met.ART0.State.Edition2.29498dd.html (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-dart_18met.ART0.State.Edition2.29498dd.html)
DART board members are poised to give final approval to a policy that purports to prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of gender identity – as recommended by the transit agency's executive staff and sought by area gay rights groups.
But with a one-word switch in the new language, approved 11-2 in a committee of the whole meeting Tuesday night, the new policy would in fact extend no new protections to transgendered employees, gay rights activists say. What's more, they say it would strip away protections for gay and lesbian employees found in the existing board policy.