A memo was sent to federal judges and other employees of the federal-court system not just recognizing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month, but also promoting a training session for federal employees that will “explore the common misnomers associated with gender, why gender inclusivity is essential, and how to professionally navigate gender identity in the workplace.”
The memorandum sent by Tiffany Blakey on May 30 reads:
In observance of this celebration, the Office of Fair Employment Practices (OFEP) is pleased to host, Gender Inclusivity Made Simple, facilitated by Tiffany Kang, Probation Officer Administrator, Illinois Northern Probation Office. This virtual training will explore the common misnomers associated with gender, why gender inclusivity is essential, and how to professionally navigate gender identity in the workplace in furtherance of the Judiciary’s core value of diversity and respect and strategy for ensuring “an exemplary workplace free from discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and abusive conduct.”
Employees can choose from two training sessions: Wednesday, June 5 at 1:00 PM (eastern) and Tuesday, June 25 at 1:00 PM (eastern) by accessing this link and indicating a preferred date. Participation is entirely optional, and each court unit may decide whether it wishes to share this opportunity.
The letter was sent from official letterhead of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, was sent to the following recipients: All United States Judges Circuit Executives Federal Public/Community Defenders District Court Executives Clerks, United States Courts Chief Probation Officers Chief Pretrial Services Officers Senior Staff Attorneys Circuit Librarians Chief Circuit Mediators Bankruptcy Administrators cc: Directors of Workplace Relations.
Blakey serves as the Fair Employment Practices Officer at the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. National Review reports that two years ago, Blakey circulated a “Pride Month” reading list “for both young adult and adult audiences” containing graphic gay sexual material. The official memo from Blakey described these as books “to educate, enlighten and entertain” but also, more ominously, described them as appropriate to be “used as part of a larger fairness in employment program.”
National Review adds in its report that before Blakey came to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, she was an employment-discrimination lawyer at the Commerce Department and handled DEI at the Defense Intelligence Agency. The leader of the “gender inclusivity” program, Kang, works in the Northern District of Illinois (i.e., Chicago), where she has been commended by the “Federal Probation Pretrial Officers Association” for “her leading contributions in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.”