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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!floyd!clyde!ihnp4!ihu1e!kinn
From: kinn@ihu1e.UUCP (Kevin Kinnear)
Newsgroups: net.motss
Subject: Re: Sexual Preference Policies
Message-ID: <160@ihu1e.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 12-Nov-83 11:19:29 EST
Article-I.D.: ihu1e.160
Posted: Sat Nov 12 11:19:29 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 14-Nov-83 07:07:27 EST
References: <150@hopd3.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, Il
Lines: 38

Forwarded for box9294

I believe AT&T Bell Laboratories has a policy prohibiting discrimination on the
basis of sexual preference.  I don't work for AT&T BTL, but many of my
friends do and one of them checked it out (Okay, friend, you know who you are
speak up!).  I work for AT&T Western Electric, though, and I have a little
story about Western's policy, the moral of which is, I guess, "Easier said than
done."

When I first started working here, I was interested in finding out about a
policy to protect my job.  I found out about The Policy first through
Western's "Feedback" mechanism.  I was relieved--I had worked a long time to
get where I was and did not want to see that thrown away because of someone's
prejudice.

After a year or so I did some flaming on the net that revealed my sexual
preference under my own name.  I thought that since I was protected by The
Policy it would not matter if my boss found out.

When my boss found out, he came to my office, said that he had heard people
were talking about an article on the net, and ask if I had indeed written it.
When I admitted that I had, he said that it was okay, and that he only wanted
to make sure that people were not making things up about me.  He explained
that he did not have a problem with my being Gay, that The Policy was clear,
and that he did not want to hear another word about it.  I could tell from
this that he was not comfortable with it.

My next boss, a new promotee, said that as a peer he had always had respect
for me and my work, and that he was surprised to find out how low I was rated.
To me this sounded like discrimination, but what could I do?  I certainly
cannot prove that I was discriminated against because of sexual preference,
but it sure seemed like it.

The point of the story is that while we have The Policy to protect us, it is
still easy and probably common to discriminate against us.

Now you know why I sign
box9294