Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Where Trump Rules Don't Apply

Lucky bastard, living in a blue state.  But those of us hanging on in red states need to put our envy and desperation to work.  There are people like Dylan Orr in Kentucky; they're just not in positions of power.  Yet.

Let's get them there.

This is why I love living in a city like Seattle:
[from an email I received from Seattle’s Labor Standards office]

Our Commitment to
Equity, Inclusion and Openness
 
As Mayor Ed Murray stated last week, Seattle remains a city guided by the values of equity, inclusion and openness. “Seattle is a city that supports women and the LGBTQ community, that welcomes our Muslim brothers and sisters, that embraces immigrants and refugees, and that believes that Black Lives Matter.” 
As the Director of the Seattle Office of Labor Standards, and an openly transgender individual, I assure you that we in the Office of Labor Standards are deeply committed to upholding these values, and ensuring that we continue to be a supportive resource and partner to Seattle’s most vulnerable communities. We will re-double our efforts to advance labor standards through thoughtful community and business engagement, strategic enforcement and innovative policy development with a commitment to race and social justice. 
To our immigrant community partners, Mayor Ed Murray has promised that the City of Seattle will remain a welcoming city, committed to serving all the residents of Seattle regardless of their immigration status. Under a local law passed in 2003, Seattle city employees are NOT allowed to ask about people’s immigration status when providing city services, unless required by law or a court order. We in the Office of Labor Standards are proud to enforce labor standards for all of Seattle’s workers, regardless of immigration status. We also have strong anti-retaliation provisions across all our labor standards ordinances. 
If you have any questions about our work or services, feel free to contact us. We look forward to our continued work ahead. 
In solidarity, 
Dylan Orr
Director, Seattle Office of Labor Standards
We’re circling the wagons, folks. We have to stay strong.
 Right here in Kentucky, Lexington Mayor Jim Gray ran for U.S. Senate as an openly gay Democrat. And nobody cared about his sexuality.

Tiny progress, but I'll take it. And run with it.

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