Regular Meeting of the LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission Monday, August 10, 2020 LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission to be held August 10, 2020, with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (August 9, 2020, by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the August 10, 2020, LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission meeting, residents must: •Call or email the board liaison at (512) 974-2154 or neal.falgoust@austintexas.gov no later than noon, August 9, 2020. The information required is the speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, and a telephone number or email address. •Once a request to speak has been called in or emailed to the board liaison, residents will receive either an email or phone call providing the telephone number to call on the day of the scheduled meeting. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to neal.falgoust@austintexas.gov by noon, August 9, 2020. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •If this meeting is broadcast live, residents may watch the meeting here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live LGBTQ QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020, 3:00 P.M. VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: District Commissioner 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kannou (Kimberly) Curette Sandra Chavez Victor Martinez (Chair) Holly Kirby Ruben Baeza Terrance Hines Deirdre Doughty Saul Gonzalez District 9 10 Mayor At-Large At-Large At-Large At-Large Commissioner Nan Dowling Brandon Wollerson Christina Gorczynski Tarik Daniels Charles Curry Kathryn Gonzales (Vice Chair) Melissa Taylor AGENDA CALL TO ORDER 2. NEW BUSINESS 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – June 8, May 11, April 8, and March 9, 2020 a. Presentation by Joshua Robinson concerning an LGBTQ Quality of Life Study. (Sponsor: Equity Office; Strategic Outcome: Government That Works for All) b. Presentation by the Office of Sustainability concerning revisions to the 2020 Community Climate Plan. (Sponsor: Staff; Strategic Outcome: Health & Environment) c. Approve a recommendation concerning the use of gender pronouns by City of Austin employees. (Sponsor: Gonzales; Strategic Outcome: …
Date Rationale LGBTQ QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20200810-2C August 10, 2020 City of Austin Employees’ Use and Display of Gender Pronouns Subject Recommendation to Council Make it the official policy of the City of Austin that employees and prospective employees have the permission and option to use and display of their gender pronouns on: 1. Email signatures; 2. Nametags and nameplates; 3. Internal forms and records (corporate directories, human resources records, applicant tracking systems, etc.); 4. Business cards; 5. Video conferencing participant names; and 6. Human resources and payroll management platforms. 1. The City of Austin currently lacks an official policy regarding employees’ use and display of their gender pronouns on email signatures, nametags and nameplates, internal forms and records (corporate directories, human resources records, applicant tracking systems, etc.), business cards, video conferencing participant names, human resources and payroll management platforms, etc. 2. Due to the lack of an official policy, some City of Austin employees are prohibited from using and displaying their gender pronouns because it violates department-level policies regarding content and style of email signatures, nametags, business cards, etc. 3. Using department-level policies and style guides to justify the prohibition of the use and display of personal gender pronouns is highly suspect. 4. City of Austin employees may construe this prohibition as discrimination, harassment, or retaliation based upon their sex, gender, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity. Page 1 of 4 5. The City of Austin prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation against an employee or prospective employee based on sex, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity. City of Austin Personnel Policies § I-A Equal Employment Opportunity and Anti- Discrimination 6. The City of Austin prohibits employers from discriminating against an employee or prospective employee based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. City of Austin Code of Ordinances § 5-3-4 Unlawful Employment Practices 7. The State of Texas prohibits employers from discriminating against an employee or prospective employee based on sex. State of Texas Labor Code § 2-A-21.051 Discrimination by Employer 8. The United States prohibits employers from discriminating against an employee or prospective employee based on sex. The United States Civil Rights Act of 1964 Title VII 9. The United States Supreme Court has ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating against an employee or prospective employee based on sexual orientation or transgender status. Bostock v. Clayton County …
LGBTQ QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES The LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission convened in a regular meeting on Monday, August 10, 2020, via videoconference, in Austin, Texas. Chair Victor Martinez called the meeting to order at 3:08 p.m. Members in Attendance: Martinez, Curette, Curry, Daniels, Gonzales, Gonzalez, Taylor, Wollerson Staff in Attendance: Staff Liaison Neal Falgoust PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: None 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – The minutes of June 8, May 11, April 8, and March 9, 2020, were approved as submitted without objection. 2. NEW BUSINESS a. Joshua Robinson of the Equity Office provided an update on the LGBTQ Quality of Life Study. The contractor is assembling a research advisory panel and is accepting applications. b. Item 2b was withdrawn. c. Commissioner Gonzales presented a recommendation concerning the use of gender pronouns by City of Austin employees. Commissioner Gonzales made a motion to approve the recommendation and Commissioner Wollerson provided a second. Commissioners voted 8-0 to approve the recommendation. ADJOURNMENT – Chair Martinez adjourned the meeting at 3:32 p.m. without objection.
