LANGLEY, VA — Out & Equal Workplace Advocates announced today that the CIA’s Agency Network for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Officers and Allies (ANGLE) is the recipient of the first ever “Excellence in Government Leadership Award.” The award recognizes ANGLE for its efforts in promoting an inclusive environment for LGBT officers and allies at CIA. Out & Equal’s press release can be viewed here.
In expressing appreciation for the award, CIA Director John O. Brennan said, “It is difficult to overstate how heartening this progress has been to me. Indeed, one of the highlights of my tenure has been seeing the LGBT community blossom under the leadership of ANGLE and its cadre of devoted allies—a group to which I proudly belong. When I see people defying stereotypes, living life on their own terms, and staying true to who they are, I see more than kindred spirits—I see people who deserve my utmost respect and admiration. And that is what I see in the men and women of the LGBT community. It’s why they are such an inspiration to me.”
In 1996, a handful of Agency officers formed ANGLE and—slowly but steadily—began pushing CIA’s culture in the direction of greater tolerance and fairness. This came on the heels of a painful chapter in CIA’s history for LGBT equality in the workplace. Though the Agency’s stance on LGBT officers softened a bit in the decades following the ‘Lavender Scare,’ real progress did not come until 1995, when President Clinton signed an executive order ending the ban on granting security clearances to LGBT individuals.
For two decades, ANGLE and its allies have worked tirelessly to educate our workforce, to advocate for the interests of our LGBT employees, and to bring about the cultural change our Agency so desperately needed. Today, thanks in large part to their efforts, LGBT officers are serving openly all across the Agency, helping advance our mission in countless ways.
CIA published today a documentary – “ANGLE of Ascent” — that highlights the key role CIA leaders have played in building inclusive environments. The video focuses on the cultural shift that occurred within the Agency since the signing of Executive Order 12968, which gave LGBT officers the right to obtain a security clearance and serve openly in the Federal Government. The video can be accessed here.
Out & Equal Workplace Advocates is a nonprofit organization dedicated to achieving LGBT workplace equality. Out & Equal partners with Fortune 1000 companies and government agencies to provide executive leadership development, comprehensive training and consultation, and professional networking opportunities that build inclusive and welcoming work environments.
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