How difficult is it to work for the government if you're gay?
Is the government gay-friendly? Do they accept or do they shut out those of the LGBT community.
After doing research I found that while yes, you can be a part of the LGBT community and still work in the government, the tolerance is not very high. In fact along with not being very high it has actually declined after Clinton left office. In 1995, "President Clinton issued an executive order forbidding the US government from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation in granting security clearances. Three years later, he banned anti-gay discrimination against all federal civilian employees. " While this is great and I really do believe President Clinton did a fabulous job advocating for the lgbt community within his own personal workplace the sad truth was that when he left office the progress he made with tolerance unfortunately declined. It was harder for the LGBT community to be more accepted after he left office. 


“There is no longer the type or level of harassment that occurred years ago,” Hirsch says. “But when it comes to benefits, government is different than the private sector. In many ways, it has not kept pace.”

This quote which was said by Leonard Hirsch and he also says-- same-sex partners of federal employees are not eligible for health and most retirement benefits. Congressional approval is necessary for change, and Hirsch says that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – passed in 1996 and signed by Clinton – remains an “execrable constraint.”

The biggest blow to me while reading this was the fact that federal employees are not eligible for benefits. To me this is a major punch in the face to all of the hard workers who do belong to this community because no matter their sexual orientation it doesn't take away from how hard of workers or how qualified they are. 

Alexa Stephan

"Is the Government Gay-Friendly?" GovCentral. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. <http://govcentral.monster.com/benefits/articles/416-is-the-government-gay-friendly>.