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not to discriminate based on sexual orientation
Providence to encourage employee connec
and recruited other businesses to join them. But
tions. Spokeswoman Dianne McConkey points
while the pledge has expanded to include gen
out that not only are employees welcome to rep
der identity, Freddie’s has yet to adopt the new
resent the sexual minorities community on the
language.
health system’s diversity committees, hut a
Despite this, Fred Meyer spokesman Rob
group of gay men and lesbians also use company
Boley says, “The key things are that we do have
facilities to meet informally about pertinent
sexual orientation in our [nondiscrimination]
issues.
policy, we do include the discussion in our diver
D on’t fight a battle of the sexes. Kaiser and
sity workshops and training, and we would not
Safeway say they have a written nondiscrimi
ever actively engage in any action that would
nation policy regarding “gender identity” or
undermine the dignity or worth of this employ
“gender expression.” Intel confirms its written
ee group.”
policy is “in progress.” Providence, however,
O f all the measures in this review, BRO pro
notes only that its verbiage covers “the breadth
gram coordinator Melissa Shepherd remarks:
of discrimination.”
“These are really easy things to do. It takes
In Portland and Multnomah County, gender
employers very little effort to
identity is covered under the
he up to speed on these
same nondiscrimination provi
things. It’s good company
sions as sexual orientation.
policy— and good competi
Additionally, the state provides
tive policy.”
some trans protections under
Antoinette
Laferriere,
the Oregon Civil Rights for Dis
Portland
Area
Business
abled Persons Act. The signifi
Association president, adds
cance, then, is the discrepancy
that because many gay-
between the legal obligations of
owned businesses are small,
companies within these jurisdic
their active support of diver
tions and their formal written
sity
and equality is not as
policies.
widely noticed in the general
Finish the jo b. Overall,
public. But by working
Kaiser and Intel lead the survey,
together with large corpora
joining the ranks of American
tions, the sexual minorities
Airlines, Apple Computer and
community can achieve a
Xerox in fully meeting these
significant presence in the
basic criteria.
workplace.
“We at Kaiser Permanente
“It is really important
believe strongly in creating an
that these employers show
inclusive workplace free of dis
leadership,” Laferriere says of
crimination,” says Tricia Peters,
companies in this survey.
vice president of human
“T he publicity associated
resources. “This survey recog
prioritizing issues
with large employers priori
nizes the hard work of many
o
f
sexual
orientation,
tizing issues of sexual orien
people here to create not just'
tation, gender identity and
fair employment practices hut
gender identity and
workplace fairness is critical
also a culture that celebrates the
workplace
fairness
to fairness and integration
diversity among our staff and
becoming the norm in soci
health plan members.”
is critical to fairness and ety in general.” JH
Some in this poll, however,
still have work to do. UPS and
integration becoming
To review the F air W orkplace
Fred Meyer, for example, signifi
the
norm
in
society
PROJECT, including participating
cantly trail their colleagues,
employers from throughout O re-
only slightly ahead of other low-
in general"
gem,
go to w w w .hasknghts.org.
scoring national brands, such as
— Antoinette Laferriere (Som e companies have signed
Wal-Mart, Federal Express and
only the ongmal pledge agamst
ExxonMobil.
discrimination hosed on sexual orientation; others have
This wasn’t always the case for Freddie’s, at
signed the current pledge agamst dLscrmunatum hosed
least. Seven years ago, the then-local chain
on both sexual onentatum and gender identity.)
stepped forward with Portland General Electric
and Northwest Natural to found BR O ’s Fair
TIMOTHY KRAUSE is a Portland w ater.
Workplace Project. This corporate trio pledged
Kaiser Permanente employees show their pride last summer
ments and situations of sexual minorities. Its
n 1998, a small group of sexual minori
representatives address issues of access, commu
ty staff at Kaiser Permanentes N orth
nication, special health concerns and differing
west division banded together to seek
family structures.
health care benefits for domestic part
Like KP Northwest Pride, many employee
ners. Four years later, registered nurse
groups
find they must tune in to their employers
Sue Caulfield and physician Richard Bills
corporate mentality to be most effective. Bills rec
now jointly chair KP Northwest Pride, an
ommends examining a company’s goals and prior
active and growing employee group.
ities, looking for how the needs
Its mission has grown,
of
sexual minority employees
too. Today, the group repre
“\Ve are recognized
can contribute to good busi
sents a variety of sexual
as an agent
ness. “What do we need that is
minority concerns— not only
congruent
with where they
of employees hut also health
for
positive
change
want to go.7” he suggests asking.
plan members. For example,
The answer from Kaiser was
beginning in 2003, Kaiser’s
within the organization"
clear.
benefits contract specifically
— Rkhard Bills
“We are recognized as an
will cover trans care. The
agent for positive change with
group also is working to
in the organization,” Bills states. “By the focus
develop a referral process by which members
we’ve had, we’ve been able to make Kaiser Perma
can request queer or queer-friendly clinicians.
nente see that these changes improve their cus
T he ongoing objective, Bills says, is to
tomer satisfaction.”
improve communication in order to avoid
closing doors. Through diversity training pre
For more information call Rkhard Bills at
sentations, for instance, the group helps
503-350-2435.
Kaiser staff be sensitive to unique require-
I
Physician Richard Bills
is the co-chairman of
KP Northwest Pride,
an active and growing
employee group