Gay Man to Direct the Office of Personnel Management

John Berry will be named director of the Office of Personnel Management by President-elect Barack Obama, according to TheWashington Post. Berry served as assistant secretary of the Interior during the Clinton administration and has been director of the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park since 2005.

LGBT leaders had hoped Berry would be tapped as secretary of the Interior, but D.C. insiders say his duties at the Office of Personnel Management will directly affect LGBT people because it has jurisdiction over the treatment of millions of federal employees.

“OPM is the federal government’s human resources department," said Denis Dison, spokesman for the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which has been presenting qualified LGBT candidates to the Obama transition team. "Its director is the president’s top adviser on personnel matters. Having an out gay man in that position is more than symbolic, it’s a statement about how important workplace equality is to this president.”

The office is generally responsible for recruiting job applicants, filling vacancies at federal agencies, developing performance review processes, administering benefits, and overseeing nondiscrimination policies.

Though Beltway LGBT leaders had been pushing for an openly gay cabinet appointee, they were enthusiastic about Berry's appointment and said it was the most prominent position to be held by an openly gay person in the federal government. “The selection of John Berry to head the Office of Personnel Management, making him the highest-ranking openly gay official ever, is a meaningful step forward for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community,” said Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese.

Before becoming director of the National Zoological Park, Berry was executive director of the National Fish and Wildlife Association from 2000 to 2005. He is also no stranger to Capitol Hill, having served as legislative director for Rep. Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, from 1985 until 1994. (Kerry Eleveld, Advocate.com)

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Name: wishes4moi
Date posted: 6/17/2009 3:21:00 AM
Hometown: HOUSTON

Comment:
THIS IS JUST OUTRAGEOUS, WE ARE PLACING PEOPLE WITH CONFUSED MINDS AND BEHAVOIRS TO MAKE US EVEN MORE CONFUSED. WHAT KIND OF EXAMPLE IS THIS ON GOD'S EYES.
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Name: David R. Polete
Date posted: 1/27/2009 2:03:00 PM
Hometown: Richmond, VA

Comment:
A BIG Congratulations to John. As being a past member of his team at the Smithsonian National Zoo, I know first hand that he will be a strong leader for the GLBT community and the whole of OPM. John has a sense of compassion for each and every person that he comes in contact with. He will fight for and represent what is right for others to be able to succeed while giving them a voice where one has not been. Now is the time for change and I wish him and his collegues the courage to challenge each other and the American public to bring that change.
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Name: Mark Becker
Date posted: 1/16/2009 12:59:00 AM
Hometown: San Francisco

Comment:
Maybe we'll have a chance at getting DP Health Benefits for Fed. Employees.
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Name: Tony Branch
Date posted: 1/14/2009 7:58:00 AM
Hometown: St. Petersburg, Fl

Comment:
This is good news, and Berry sounds very well qualified. This is especially important for GLBT employees of the federal government However, those of us in the private sector who are not federal employees as well as state and local government employees in most "red" states also need protection against employment discrimination. In more than half of the states in this country--including highly populous Florida and Texas--one can still be fired simply for being gay. The only way I see to remedy this is passage of a federal ENDA law. That's the only way racial discrimination in employment was outlawed back in the late 60's,
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Name: Peter Benedetti
Date posted: 1/14/2009 1:16:00 AM
Hometown: Scranton, PA

Comment:
As a former OPM employee am glad to see Mr Berry recommended for the job. Too many dullards held the reins in the past. Perhaps we'll march forward with this kid. Good luck and all that sort of thing.
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Name: Ravi
Date posted: 1/13/2009 4:49:00 PM
Hometown: Missouri

Comment:
This is excellent news. Everyone should keep in mind that the war is won by one battle at a time. This is a very big step, because Mr. Berry is going to be in a position to actually make a difference in the lives of so many LGBT federal employees. Once that starts to happen, its only a matter of time before anti-LGBT discrimination is confronted and defeated in the private sphere. In fact, Berry will have more of an impact here than he would have had in one of those cabinet positions. Just watch, within one month of taking office, Obama is going surprise a lot of folks; that absurd DADT military rule will be abolished, and the employment non-discrimination act will be passed. I also predict that the CA supreme court will strike down Prop 8.
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Name: Roland Rogers
Date posted: 1/13/2009 4:17:00 PM
Hometown: Fall River, MA

Comment:
This is great news. At least there should be a return of the protections that existed under the Clinton Administration. GW promptly removed all workplace protections for GLBT personnel of the Federal Government that existed by virtue of presidential order. The only thing that remained are the policy statements of the various agencies. Policy is set at the whim of the top management. Presidential orders do not have the force of law, but they are definitely much stronger than agency policy.
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Name: Daniel S
Date posted: 1/13/2009 3:12:00 PM
Hometown: New Hope, PA

Comment:
At least if the OPM director is gay then LGBT people are unlikely to have to worry very much about discrimination in federal agencies. It's a positive step towards a better working environment in the federal government.
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Name: Andy
Date posted: 1/13/2009 3:10:00 PM
Hometown: NY NY

Comment:
Excellent! Now maybe GLBT civil servants can get some real protections and opportunities to advance while living openly.
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Name: Angry in Michigan
Date posted: 1/13/2009 2:59:00 PM
Hometown: Orange, TX

Comment:
Grat news and our community was so up in arms two weeks ago because they thought Obama was not going to have anyone from the GLBT community as part of his administration. It may not be a cabinet position, but this is pretty important stuff

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