Biography of an American Public Activist Elizabeth Birch Essay

Biography of an American Public Activist Elizabeth Birch - Essay Example In 1992, as she narrates in her interview, Lotus Development Company had extended their services for the provision of domestic partner benefits; an initiative that she thought would highlight the company’s commitment to its employees, who she believed deserved the same. She contends that as the attorney for gay employees, she felt conflicted on whether she could stand by the gay people and still maintain professionalism as an advocate. This was because in Apple Inc there was normal grassroots process within which employees were building cases for domestic partner benefits. The experience of this woman offers the exact case in regards to how gays were being viewed by the majority or some of the individuals in the state. This then offers an analytical basis of stating the perception and the stereotypes held at the time. Elizabeth narrates that once employees were to provide the cases for the domestic partner benefits they built their cases and sent it to the human resource depar tment. This, she notes, was the undoing of the Apple gay and lesbian community as the human resource department came up with excuses of how not to implement such. Some of the excuses were that for the implementation of such to take place, it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The consequences of this were highlighted by the rejection by Apple’s board of directors. This decision enraged Elizabeth who notes that since she was well known worldwide as the advocate for the gay and lesbian and for providing institutions and municipalities with advice regarding the implementation of sexual non-discrimination policies and domestic partner benefits, the move by the Apple board of directors was unacceptable and was in contradiction with what she believed.