City Obligated to Release Gay Employees' names

[paulsby]

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/407386_pdr19.html

As attorneys for all sides prepare to square off in court, the City of Seattle and a self-described "civil rights leader" seeking the release of the names of gay and lesbian city workers involved in a city-sponsored club have lined up on the same side of the issue.

In separate court filings, the city and the Seattle City Light employee requesting the records argue that the state public-records act requires that the city release the records. City of Seattle employees associated with the department's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Questioning and Friends Club have asked the court to order the city not to release their names.

Reiterating statements made by Seattle City Attorney Tom Carr shortly after the suit was filed, lawyers for the city now assert, reluctantly, that the records requested by City Light employee Philip Irvin.

"The city sympathizes with the concerns that plaintiffs have expressed," Assistant City Attorney Gary T. Smith said in court documents. "Nonetheless, the city believes that the Public Records Act obligates it to disclose the records at issue."

Irvin, who claims he's been barred from attending LGBTQF club meetings because he is heterosexual and opposed to gay rights, has requested that the city release the names of employees belonging to or attending the Seattle Public Utilities-sponsored group.

According to the city's filing, the department sponsors eight such "affinity" groups for employees "with similar concerns." Included in the array are groups for employees of different ages or ancestry, including European. Each group is provided with up to $1,000 annually for events, and members are allowed to spend two work hours a month toward group activities.

In arguing that the records should be released, attorneys for the city assert that earlier appeals-court rulings have shown that employee information must be released even if it could result in harassment. The city cites a 2002 case in which King County was ordered by the state Court of Appeals to release a list of sheriff's deputies' names.

[Believing Is Art]

1. I hope they stay safe

Someone this obsessed with what others do in the privacy of their bedrooms does not sounds stable. He wants to crash their meetings to oppress them and then he sues to find out who they are. Get a fuckin' life. I can only hope these names do not show up on his hit list.

[MADem]

2. They ought to open up auxiliary or honorary memberships to friends of equality

Load up that list with eighty percent of the workforce. Sorta like changing your twitter location to Teheran!

[Heidi]

8. It's already open to friends of equality.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Questioning and Friends Club

But your point is well taken. If I were an employee of that utility company, I'd be asking for membership in the LGBTQF club. :hi:

[EFerrari]

3. This is obviously malicious and I hope this @sshole doesn't get away

with this. It undermines the whole logic of having such a group.

[paulsby]

11. malicious or not

WA law is WA law.

i don't like the fact that so much of my personal info is disclosed by govt. upon request in WA state, but as a public employee i am subject to public disclosure law.

disclosure law , like many aspects of freedom and open govt. , has dangers.

this is one of them

[canetoad]

4. Exteremely public spirited of him

It seems his main reason for wishing the names to be made public is for transparency in accounting.

In his own words:

Seattle Public Utilities sponsored a "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and friends" employees group which has free use of City e-mail and meeting rooms and most likely even has a city job number to charge their organizational time to. They have even got an all-employees e-mail invitation persuading employees to attend a one-sided forum on lesbian mothers child custody issues. Curious to find out who was using City resources, I, a City Light employee, filed a public disclosure request seeking the names and attendees of their meeting. I was stunned when told that the gay group would be filing an injunction to block release of this information. There seems to be rank hypocrisy among the gay community. Publishing names and addresses on a website of those who oppose them by signing a petition is fair game but releasing the names of those who use city resources to promote their agenda causes them to howl. Call me a homophobe if you want to but I don't think the City should fund a secret gay employees group.
http://faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2009/06/homosexual-hypocrisy-at-city-of-seattle.html (some interesting comments at the blog.

And, as well as being the financial gatekeeper, he is a champion of civil rights as this Facebook entry describes:

On several occasions, Irvin has attempted to join or become involved in numerous city-affiliated activities aimed at gay or minority employees. Among other allegations, he asserts in court filings that a dance for gay and lesbian youth was canceled when he volunteered to chaperon and was barred from attending a LGBT event when he attempted to attend with a formerly gay minister.

Describing himself as a civil-rights leader, Irvin said he sees himself as the victim of bigotry by the city and intends to form an employee group for former homosexuals.

"The city is organizing employees to march in the gay pride parade and I intend to march in it with the mayor," Irvin said in an e-mail. "If I don't demand equal treatment then I am accepting that (my) values about sex are inferior."
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=115465678941&ref=mf

Personally, I think he is neither, just another fucking troublemaker.

[BR_Parkway]

5. Guy's a freak for sure - but I have to say public records means public

if they are getting funding from the City, then the taxpayers have every right to know where that money goes - can't justify secrecy just because we don't like the reasoning behind the request.

[vadawg]

6. yup hate to say it but your right, especially if as he states its on the city's clock

He may be doing it for the wrong or right reasons but transparancy is transparency.

[ejpoeta]

7. wtf!! that is personal private stuff. no one's damned business. and why would anyone have a list

of gay employees names!!??? that's bullshit.

[paulsby]

9. they don't

they have a list of the names of people who are in that group, which among other things included "friends".

[cagesoulman]

10. The way to fight this douchbag is to have a whole bunch of straight employees

also join the group right away and get their names on the list. I'll bet enough people are fucking pissed off at this piece of crap Irvin enough that they would do this. I also suggest adding some famous names to the list to suck up the attention. There have to be a couple of Hollywood types who would help as honorary members.