1. Does your written
nondiscrimination policy explicitly cover sexual orientation
and marital status?
2. Do the disability portions
of your nondiscrimination policy cover medical conditions
such as AIDS and HIV status?
3. Do your affirmative action
goals include gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT)
individuals along with other minorities?
4. Are activities relating to
GLBT issues and organizations considered positively when
listed on resumes, and given appropriate weight in job
interviews?
5. Do your job announcements
go to GBLT law student organizations and bar associations
and committees? Do you provide names of "out" GBLT staff in
your office that applicants can contact?
6. Are "out" GLBT staff on
your hiring committee, in the same way other minorities are?
7. Do you offer applicants an
opportunity to "self-identify" in a voluntary,
non-threatening way in order to evaluate whether you have a
representative applicant pool?
Work Environment
1. Have you done trainings on
cultural diversity that include sections on homophobia and
GLBT issues?
2. Do you have written
policies against discrimination and sexual harassment that
preclude discrimination and harassment based on sexual
orientation?
3. Do the disability portions
of your nondiscrimination policy cover medical conditions
such as AIDS and HIV status?
4. Do employees know that
homophobic and bigoted conduct will be grounds for
disciplinary action?
5. Do you feel that you have
created an environment where people feel free to make
individual choices about coming out of the closet?
6. Do "out" GLBT staff members
receive support when facing homophobia in the courts,
legislature or other work arenas?
7. Have you considered an
informal or formal mentoring program so that GLBT staff can
have someone to turn to in the program?
8. Are invitations to office
functions extended to partners and guests, not just spouses?
9. Are staff complaints about
homophobia or bias treated seriously?
10. Do “out” GLBT staff
members get support when speaking in support of GLBT issues
inside the agency?
Benefits
1. Are health benefits
extended to domestic partners on the same basis as to
married couples?
2. Are health benefits
extended to children of domestic partners on the same basis
as to biological children and step-children?
3. Are bereavement leave, sick
leave, caretaker leave, and parenting leave extended to
domestic partners and GLBT families on the same basis as to
heterosexual partners and families? Do the parenting leave
provisions extend to both parents of adopted children?
4. Are membership dues in GLBT
professional organizations, such as the Bay Area Lawyers for
Individual Freedom, paid on the same basis as memberships in
other professional associations?
5. Are staff members
encouraged to attend conferences on GLBT issues to the same
extend they are encouraged to attend other relevant
conferences?
6. Are all other benefits
(pensions, retirement, scholarships, etc.) extended equally?
Board of Directors
1. Does your Board include
representatives of the GLBT community?
2. Have Board members been
included in the sensitivity training?
3. Has Board recruitment
included outreach to the GLBT community? Are GLBT
organizations considered among the possible nominating
organizations?
4. Do you ask Board members to
"self-identify" in order to evaluate whether the Board is
representative?
Client Issues
1. Have you created an
environment where GLBT clients feel welcome?
2. Have staff received training
in how to be sensitive to concerns of GLBT clients and in
how to recognize when those issues affect the client's legal
problems?
3. Does your priority process
address issues of concern to poor GLBT clients, including
AIDS, housing discrimination, employment discrimination,
custody issues, medical access issues, insurance benefits,
domestic abuse, life planning for persons with AIDS (living
wills, etc.), and civil rights issues?
• Is a special AIDS project appropriate in
your community?
• Has your family law unit addressed the
position it will take if custody is challenged because of
someone's sexual orientation, or how it will address GLBT
battering?
• Have you evaluated whether public and
subsidized housing is available to GLBT families in the same
manner in which it is available to heterosexual families?
4. Do your client eligibility
criteria include appropriate provisions for evaluating the
income of GLBT families?
5. Does your intake form
include a space to indicate “domestic partner” as an
alternative to “married” or “spouse”?
6. Do you do outreach in GLBT
publications and communities?
7. Does your mission statement
encompass the needs of GLBT clients?
8. Do your client
nondiscrimination policies cover sexual orientation and
marital status, and do the disability portions of your
nondiscrimination policy cover medical conditions such as
AIDS and HIV status?
9. Does your resource and
referral list include organizations that provide support to
GLBT clients?
10. Do you seek foundation
grants to address issues of concern to poor GLBT clients in
the same way that you seek those grants for heterosexual
issues?
11. Are client complaints
about homophobia or bias treated seriously?
12. Does the physical
environment include displays reflective of sexual
orientation diversity (posters, art, magazines, etc.)?
13. Do your agency publicity
materials demonstrate an openness to GLBT clients (i.e.
pictures of same-sex couples)?
