Posted by Dale Carpenter:
Better late than never:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_06_21-2009_06_27.shtml#1245949476
On the eve of gay pride weekend, the Office of Personnel Management
(OPM) [1]has apologized to veteran activist Frank Kameny for firing
him in 1957 solely because of his homosexuality. The letter, from the
director of OPM, says in full:
Dear Dr. Kameny:
In what we know today was a shameful action, the United States
Civil Service Commission in 1957 upheld your dismissal from your
job solely on the basis of your sexual orientation. In one letter
to you, an agency official wrote that the Government �does not hire
homosexuals and will not permit their employment...� He went on to
say that �the homosexual is automatically a security risk� and that
he �frequently becomes a disruptive personnel factor within any
organization.�
With the fervent passion of a true patriot, you did not resign
yourself to your fate or quietly endure this wrong. With courage
and strength, you fought back. And so today, I am writing to advise
you that this policy, which was at odds with the bedrock principles
underlying the merit-based civil service, has been repudiated by
the United States Government, due in large part to your
determination and life�s work, and to the thousands of Americans
whose advocacy your words have inspired.
Thus, the civil service laws, rules and regulations now provide
that it is illegal to discriminate against federal employees or
applicants based on matters not related to their ability to perform
their jobs, including their sexual orientation. Furthermore, I am
happy to inform you that the Memorandum signed by President Obama
on June 17, 2009 directs the Office of Personnel Management�the
successor to the CSC--to issue guidance to all executive
departments and agencies regarding their obligations to comply with
these laws, rules, and regulations.
And by virtue of the authority vested in me as Director of the
Office Of Personnel Management, it is my duty and great pleasure to
inform you that I am adding my support, along with that of many
other past Directors, for the repudiation of the reasoning of the
1957 finding by the United States Civil Service Commission to
dismiss you from your job solely on the basis of your sexual
orientation. Please accept our apology for the consequences of the
previous policy of the United States government, and please accept
the gratitude and appreciation of the United States Office of
Personnel Management for the work you have done to fight
discrimination and protect the merit-based civil service system.
Sincerely yours, John Berry, Director
How times have changed since 1957. Kameny's papers are now archived at
the Library of Congress and were the subject of a special Smithsonian
Exhibit. You can see some of the more interesting correspondence,
photos, and 1960s picket signs from the Kameny papers [2]here. He
organized protests in front of the White House in 1965, when sodomy
was still criminalized in 49 states. He lobbied the APA to remove
homosexuality from its list of mental disorders, finally succeeding in
1973. And so much more. No single living American has advanced the
cause of equality for gays and lesbians more than he.
It has been my privilege to know Frank for about ten years. Now in his
80s, he is principled, fearless, cantankerous, and relentless.
Frank's answer to OPM: [3]"Apology accepted."
References
1. http://www.washblade.com/blog/blog.cfm?blog_id=25888.
2. http://www.kamenypapers.org/
3.
http://www.towleroad.com/2009/06/gay-rights-activist-frank-kameny-gets-apology-from-us-govt.html
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