Is a national employee resource group for LGBT+ and allies in the government. FedQ is currently running their second National Leadership and Diversity Training Program in Baltimore this week and they’re regarded as a great resource for government employees and management alike. This organization also maintains partnerships with other national affinity groups such as Blacks in Government (BIG), Federal Employees with Disabilities (FEDs) and Federally Employed Women (FEW). For more info, go to FedQ.org.
Lambda PTO Pride 2014
This year’s celebration of LGBT Pride and diversity back in June featured our guest speaker, Michele Zavos of Zavos Juncker Law Group PLLC, with a talk on marriage – not marriage in a political sense, but rather a legal sense. Many members of the LGBT community did not grow up thinking that marriage was a possibility.
Now that we CAN get married, SHOULD we?
What are we getting ourselves intowhen we say, “I do?”
Greatly informative presentation, here’s the video!
Featured Group: Federal Globe
Checkout our Resources page where we continue adding informative links about both local and national groups we can all benefit from. This month, we’d like to highlight Federal Globe. This group has its headquarters in the DC area and hosts Federal Employee Happy Hours open to all, on the first Thursday of every month at Cobalt.
“Federal GLOBE’s chartered purpose is to eliminate prejudice and discrimination in the federal government based on sexual orientation by (1) developing and providing educational programs, materials and assistance mechanisms which address the distinctive concerns and problems of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals in the federal government and (2) educating the general public, policy makers, and federal employees about issues of concern to lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals.”
Start Talking
September 27th is National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Visit the CDC Page and join the Start Talking, Stop HIV campaign.
Have you joined our Facebook Group?
Do you use Facebook to network and keep in touch? Lambda has a Facebook Group! It’s a great way to interact with other members and share events, links, news, etc. Our group has been labeled “secret” under the Facebook privacy settings, that way it doesn’t show on your profile and our members are not listed to people who are not part of the group itself. Keep in mind when you join any Facebook group, the other members can’t see anything on your profile, except information you have labeled as public. So, what are you waiting for? Go to Facebook.com/groups/lambdapto/
From the White House: President Obama Acts to Protect LGBT Workers
“Many of you have worked for a long time to see this day coming.”
That’s what President Obama told the audience in the East Room of the White House on July 21st 2014, before he signed an Executive Order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The President explained how, because of the audience’s “passionate advocacy and the irrefutable rightness of [their] cause, our government — government of the people, by the people, and for the people — will become just a little bit fairer.”
Yesterday’s Executive Order amends Executive Order 11246, issued by President Lyndon B. Johnson, adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected categories in the existing Executive Order covering federal contractors.
“It doesn’t make much sense,” President Obama said, “but today in America, millions of our fellow citizens wake up and go to work with the awareness that they could lose their job, not because of anything they do or fail to do, but because of who they are — lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender. And that’s wrong.”
Find out more about the President’s Executive Order to protect LGBT workers.
SHPE and BIG Sponsoring a School Supply Drive
SHPE-USPTO AND BIG SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE
Join your colleagues and help ensure that every child in Alexandria starts the first day of school with a backpack and school supplies. Donate school supplies to the Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) sponsored by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE-USPTO) and PTO Chapter of Blacks in Government (BIG). Donations can be given to members of the SHPE-USPTO and/or PTO-BIG Executive Board or placed in boxes located in your building lobby from Tuesday, July 29 through Friday, August 22.
Please note that monetary gifts cannot be accepted.
If you have any questions, please contact us at SHPE@USPTO.gov or BIG@USPTO.gov.
Lifecare LGBT Integration Seminar Recording
The LGBT Integration Seminar held by LifeCare on June 19th 2014 is now available for viewing and download at this link:
https://lifecare.webex.com/lifecare/lsr.php?RCID=7df3bf7c4a4843a983ca5780d8fb183b
The goal of this seminar is to present information and frame the topic of sexual orientation in the workplace. Join Steven R. Earley, CFP, ChFC, MFT as he offers how to create a good environment for everyone so that all employees feel safe and supported no matter what their personal circumstances may be. Please feel free to use and forward to anyone who might be interested.
Lambda PTO Coffee Break: New Location
We’re shaking things up! Tomorrow our Lambda Coffee Break will be held at
Artfully Chocolate Bistro And Wine Bar
506 John Carlyle St
Alexandria, Virginia
We’re looking forward to sweets, ice cream and of course, coffee with a side of interesting conversation. See you there!
USPTO Weekly Employee Profile – LGBT month
Good morning,
Since June is ‘LGBT Pride Month’, the USPTO Weekly would like to feature an article celebrating the agency’s unique community – including members of the LGBT community. If you believe a colleague has noteworthy achievements, an interesting hobby, or a remarkable background, submit an Employee Profile.
Profiles should be 300-700 words long, and the profiled employees must review the articles before they are submitted. Once submitted, stories may be edited and fact-checked by Weekly staff. Publication is not guaranteed.
To submit a story, first consult our Submission Guidelines and then send your submission to the USPTO Weekly. The deadline is noon every Wednesday for the following week’s issue. Stories may be edited for clarity and brevity, and to conform to the Associated Press Stylebook for journalism.
Regards,
Managing Editor, USPTO Weekly
You must be logged in to post a comment.