Equality USDA News & Notes
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NEWS AND NOTES FROM EQUALITY USDA The employee resource group for LGBTQ+ employees and retirees at USDA Message from the President Hello Equality USDA members and friends, I hope the start of fall and a new fiscal year finds you in good spirits. During the month of October, we ob- serve LGBTQ+ history month and celebrate those icons and historic figures who bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice, one act at a time. You can find more info and resources on LGBTQ+ history in this newsletter. We’ve had a recent change on the Executive Board of Equality USDA. Partnership Liaison Tim Sheehan resigned his position over the summer. Randi Johnson has been appointed by the Executive Board to serve as the Partnership Liaison. Randi ran for Office in Equality USDA last fall and lost by a narrow margin. She is Director of the Global Change Division at the Na- tional Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in USDA. She’s served on the board of the non -profit Transgender Education Association of greater Washington, D.C. (TGEA) for the past 6 years. We are happy to welcome Randi to the Equality USDA Board!! Photo above: Randi Johnson, Partnership Liaison The Executive Board is finalizing the updated Bylaws for a membership vote in December. The updated By- laws were reviewed by a small group of members; we are now addressing their comments. In addition to working on the Bylaws, the Board drafted a Strategic Plan and annual Business Plan. We’re also working on updating our communications platforms, including our website and social media. We look forward to shar- ing all of this with you soon. The Executive Board is also establishing committees focused on Community Outreach and Engagement and coordinating the annual Pride Observance. If you have an interest in one of these committees, or an initia- tive you would like to suggest, contact the Equality USDA Executive Board at [email protected]. Coming soon to the newsletter- Member's Corner! A page devoted to our members to voice personal sto- ries, why they advocate for LGBTQ+ equality, and/or initiatives they support from Equality USDA. Write us at [email protected] to share your story or event. To all the brave trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming federal employees and family members - We see you. We are with you. You are not alone. You cannot be erased. We love you. We are family. Meghan Walter Equality USDA President https://www.facebook.com/EqualityUSDA/ 2 Equality USDA Partnership Events USDA employees attend the 2018 Out & Equal Workplace Summit USDA employees joined 6,000 LGBTQ+ professionals in Seattle, Washington October 1-4 to share strategies and best practices to create workplaces which are inclusive of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. NRCS, APHIS, FAS, FSIS, and the Forest Service were represented at the Summit. Other federal agencies in attendance include EPA, VA, CIA, NSA, FBI, Peace Corps, NASA, U.S. Patent and Trade Office, and the Department of Defense. Thanks to APHIS for providing the funding for an outreach and recruitment booth at the Summit. Special Emphasis Program Managers (SEPMs) and Equality USDA members partnered on staffing the booth. We had so many great conversations with LGBTQ+ professionals and job seekers at the Summit who were ex- cited and amazed to see USDA there! And we learned from each other other—NRCS Oregon Soil Scientist Gabby Coughlin taught us that the diversity in the soil below our feet is as important as the diversity we cultivate in our workplaces. As part of the Summit, Equality USDA Board members Meghan Walter, Kimberly Kelley, and Jeremy Wood delivered the Government Sector Leadership Day. The half-day session focused on generational diversity in LGBTQ+ spaces and included a panel with leaders of federal employee resource groups. Photo above: Check out all the cool swag at our outreach and recruitment booth at the Out & Equal Summit and LGBTQ career fair!! Most popular items— • ”Your customer, Your coworker” posters • Mighty Mini Microbe soil health coloring books • LGBT Recruitment packet Photo above: Jeremy Wood, Equality USDA Communi- cations Director, proudly welcomes visitors to the USDA booth. The blue, pink , and white flag is the trans Pride flag; the pink, purple and blue flag is the bisexual Pride flag. We received a lot of questions and compliments on our Pride flags—great conversation starters! Photo above: Summit attendees are excited to talk with Equality USDA Vice President Kimberly Kelley and LGBTQ+ SEPM Gabriella Coughlin at the booth. 3 Equality USDA Partnership Events Equality USDA sponsored the Queer Farmer Convergence in Decorah, Iowa The inaugural Queer Farmer Convergence was September 29—October 1, hosted by Humble Hands Har- vest, a small vegetable farm in eastern Iowa. The Convergence was attended by 30 people from across the Midwest focused on centering queerness in sustainable agriculture. Read a recap of the event from the host’s perspective on the Humble Hands Harvest website here. The group discussed queer economics, opportunities for queer ag collaborations, and how to further food systems in new and innovative ways. As a result of the first-annual Queer Farmer Convergence, the group is generating a listserv, a zine, a shared resource page, and is sharing content through queerfarmercollective.com. Humble Hands Harvest happens to be a customer of USDA—they’ve worked with NRCS to build a seasonal high tunnel (like a greenhouse) on their farm in Winneshiek county, Iowa! Equality USDA is proud to con- tribute to creating inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ folks in rural areas through this new partnership. Seeking workshop presenters for the 5th Annual Cultivating Change Summit Des Moines, Iowa June 19-21 This three-day global agriculture conference features educational opportunities, workshops, expert pan- els, networking mixers, and keynotes from prominent agriculture LGBTQ+ and ally leaders. The purpose of the Summit is to bring together agriculture LGBTQ+ employees, human resources and diversity and inclu- sion professionals, employee resources group leaders, executives and organizational leaders, allies and others who are working toward an equitable environment. If you are submitting a workshop for consideration, please let us know at [email protected]. Apply here. Hey, that’s the USDA panel at the 2018 Cultivating Change Summit! Pretty cool—we’re part of Cultivating Change’s mar- keting materials now (and so isMighty Mini Mi- crobe, our Soil Health superhero!)!! 4 LGBTQ+ History Month LGBTQ+ History Month was created in 1994 by Rodney Wilson, a high school history teacher in Missouri. The month was initially chosen to include National Coming Out Day on October 11 and to commemorate the anniversary of the first National March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights by LGBTQ+ people on Oc- tober 14, 1979. LGBTQ+ History month includes: • Spirit Day on October 20, on which people around the country wear purple in support of LGBTQ+ youth; • Ally Week, a week in which allies against LGBTQ+ bullying are celebrated; • The anniversary of Matthew Shepard's murder. 21-year-old Matthew Shepard died on October 12, 1998, sparking the cre- ation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Snapshot: Equality USDA History Source: USDA GLOBE History fact sheet—Where has USDA GLOBE been? In 1992, Federal GLOBE was formed. This is an umbrella organization that facilitated communication between the GLOBE organization in the various Departments of the Federal Government. On April 15, 1993, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy issued his Civil Rights Policy Statement. This statement for the first time specifically prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation at USDA. In June of 1993, Secretary Espy formed a Task Force on Sexual Orientation to look at how the nondiscrimination policy should be implemented. In December 1993, the first meeting of USDA GLOBE was attended by 18 people. To a large degree, the ability of the group to form was facilitated by Secretary Espy’s Civil Rights Policy statement and Task Force creation. On March 25, 1994, USDA GLOBE was officially sanctioned as an employee organization by Wardell C. Townsend, Jr, Assistant Secretary for Administration. During the years 1994 - 1995, the organization focused on spreading the word of our existence throughout the De- partment. Two USDA GLOBE field chapters were established in California and Colorado. The organization also focused on developing a support network among members, many of whom had not previously been out in the workplace. In 1996, the organization continued to focus on outreach to our membership. A mentoring program was developed to encourage contact with field members. A third USDA GLOBE started forms in Florida. On May 29, 1996, USDA GLOBE submits a compilation of all the agency Civil Rights policy statements issued within USDA to the Office of Civil Rights in an effort to advocate for a stronger implementation of the sexual orientation nondiscrimination policy. At the time, USDA GLOBE noted that only 6 of the 13 statements issued by the various Mission Areas and Agencies in- cluded a prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation. On June 12, 1996, USDA GLOBE met with Secre- tary Dan Glickman and encouraged the Secretary to lend his leadership to the implementation of the sexual orienta- tion nondiscrimination policy. Stay tuned for more Equality USDA history lessons in future newsletters. 5 LGBTQ+ History Month 31 Days, 31 Icons October 2018 Monday Oct. 1 Gilbert Baker -- Rainbow Flag Designer Tuesday, Oct. 2 Matthew Shepherd-- Hero, martyr, human Wednesday, Oct. 3 Janet Mock -- Writer, TV Host, Actor, Director, and transgender rights activitist Thursday, Oct. 4 Frank Kameny - Gay rights activist, dismissed from federal service during the Lavender Scare Friday, Oct. 5 Melvin Boozer -- Gay Pioneer Saturday, Oct.