OPM Trans regression

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

All communications to and from OPM's Acting Director or the Office of the Executive Secretariat's correspondence management team between November 1, 2018 and November 23, 2018 regarding changes to the "Gender Identity Guidance" section of the "Diversity & Inclusion" page (now known as the "Guidance regarding non-discriminatory practices in federal employment.")

As a representative of the news media I am only required to pay for the direct cost of duplication after the first 100 pages. Through this request, I am gathering information on the way this rollback of transgender protections was made. That is of current interest to the public as it has been a major area of controversy and the administration has been in the news for its regression on LGBTQ rights since day one. This information is being sought on behalf of ThinkProgress.org (an online news service) for dissemination to the general public.

Please waive any applicable fees. Release of the information is in the public interest because it concerns the civil rights actions of the administration. The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes. In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Please provide expedited processing of this request which concerns a matter of urgency. As a journalist, I am primarily engaged in disseminating information. The public has an urgent need for information because it appears to be a violation of Executive Order 13672 and could immediately put thousands of federal employees into discriminatory and unsafe situations.

If my request is denied in whole or part, I ask that you justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the act. I will also expect you to release all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material. I, of course, reserve the right to appeal your decision to withhold any information or to deny a waiver of fees.

As I am making this request as a journalist and this information is of timely value, I would appreciate your communicating with me by email or telephone, rather than by mail, if you have questions regarding this request.

I certify that my statements concerning the need for expedited processing are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter.

Sincerely,

Josh Israel
jisrael@americanprogress.org
202-478-5317