An employee making a sexual orientation discrimination complaint can choose to file the complaint with the employee's department EEO Counselor or the City's Sexual Orientation Counselor in the Personnel Department's Equal Employment Opportunities Section. Complaints filed about pre-employment actions or actions directly related to Personnel Department functions should be directed to the City's Sexual Orientation Counselor. Violations of the City's policy against sexual orientation discrimination will be treated appropriately according to existing City procedures for administrative discipline. The following Sexual Orientation Discrimination Procedure has been developed specifically for use by employees who believe that they have been discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation.
Every employee is entitled to work in an environment free from sexual orientation discrimination.
An employee who perceives comments, gestures or actions which offend against an individual's sexual orientation made by another employee or supervisor should immediately and clearly communicate to that person that such behavior is offensive. The employee should immediately report the sexual orientation discrimination complaint to her or his supervisor, or to the department's EEO Counselor, or to the City's Sexual Orientation Counselor in the Personnel Department's Equal Employment Opportunities Section. The employee has the right to a confidential conference with the person to whom the sexual orientation complaint is made. If an employee chooses to initiate a complaint of sexual orientation discrimination, the employee's department EEO Counselor or the City's Sexual Orientation Counselor should make preliminary efforts to resolve the complaint, and if necessary, should fully and completely conduct a formal investigation. All investigations will be handled with discretion, sensitivity and due concern for the dignity of those involved.