Tom Perez, the assistant attorney general in charge of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, yesterday called for more engagement on LGBT rights on the part of government:
"Perez on Wednesday he gave his first speech to division employees,
saying the division must be transformed 'so that we are capable of
tackling the civil rights challenges of the 21st century,' include
issues not historically addressed by the department. 'We must
fight for fairness and basic equality for our LGBT brothers and sisters
who so frequently are being left in the shadows,' he said, and to 'ensure that there's a level playing field in which our LGBT brothers
and sisters are judged by the content of their character.' Allison
Herwitt, legislative director for Human Rights Campaign, the nation's
largest gay rights group, called Perez's words 'fantastic.' … 'What's
so different between this administration and the last is that we have
people who want to have these protections in place and to enforce these
protections, and you have the top of the Civil Rights Division willing
to openly talk about these protections,' said Herwitt."
