Lifting the ban on gays in the civil service: federal policy toward gay and lesbian employees since the cold war
By: Lewis, Gregory B.
Material type:
ArticlePublisher: 1997Description: p.387-95.Subject(s): Civil service
In:
Public Administration ReviewSummary: During the Cold War, Congress and the president strengthened prohibitions on federal employment of gay men and lesbians, whom they deemed to be risks to national security. The Civil Service Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigation developed bureaucratic procedures to prevent the hiring of homosexual applicants and to fire homosexual civil servants. The ban was not fully lifted until the early 1970s as a result of court rulings that, to justify dismissal, the bureaucracy needed to demonstrate a rational nexus between an employee's homosexual conduct and "the efficiency of the service." Since 1980, the Office of Personnel Management has prohibited discrimination in the personnel process on the basis of sexual orientation. Several federal agencies now explicitly prohibit discrimination against gay and lesbian employees, but legal protections for them remain weak. This article traces the history of federal policy toward gay and lesbian employees since World War II, examining the impact of electoral politics, the bureaucracy, the courts, and the gay movement. - Reproduced
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Articles
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Indian Institute of Public Administration | Volume no: 57, Issue no: 5 | Available | AR36236 |
During the Cold War, Congress and the president strengthened prohibitions on federal employment of gay men and lesbians, whom they deemed to be risks to national security. The Civil Service Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigation developed bureaucratic procedures to prevent the hiring of homosexual applicants and to fire homosexual civil servants. The ban was not fully lifted until the early 1970s as a result of court rulings that, to justify dismissal, the bureaucracy needed to demonstrate a rational nexus between an employee's homosexual conduct and "the efficiency of the service." Since 1980, the Office of Personnel Management has prohibited discrimination in the personnel process on the basis of sexual orientation. Several federal agencies now explicitly prohibit discrimination against gay and lesbian employees, but legal protections for them remain weak. This article traces the history of federal policy toward gay and lesbian employees since World War II, examining the impact of electoral politics, the bureaucracy, the courts, and the gay movement. - Reproduced
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