Parks Group Calls on Department of Interior to Restore Protections for LGBTQ Employees

Following reports that the Department of Interior removed references to sexual orientation from the agency’s ethics guide regarding workplace discrimination, National Parks Conservation Association is calling for Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to immediately restore protections for LGBTQ employees.

Statement by Theresa Pierno, President and CEO of National Parks Conservation Association:

“Removing protections for the LGBTQ community working at the Department of Interior is unconscionable. The National Park System is full of sites that tell the stories of people’s struggles for civil rights, from Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument to Belmont-Paul Women’s Rights National Monument. In 2016, Stonewall National Monument was established, the first national park site dedicated to telling the generations-long story and struggle for LGBTQ rights. How can rangers show up to work and tell this important story knowing the Department that oversees Stonewall has eliminated employee protections for the very community they are honoring? The staff at the Department of Interior should continue to be as diverse as the places and stories they work to safeguard. And all staff deserve equal protection. We call on Secretary Bernhardt to reinstate protections for the LGBTQ community at Interior immediately.”

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About National Parks Conservation Association: For 100 years, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.4 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org/100.