Earlier this year Dallas Voice chronicled the case of a gay AT&T employee who was denied leave by the company to care for his longtime partner, who had recently suffered a stroke.
In response to our stories about Garland couple Bryan Dickenson and Bill Sugg, AT&T changed its policies so that gay workers are eligible for the same leave that straight employees receive under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.
Now, the U.S. Department of Labor plans to require all businesses to provide FMLA leave to gay workers.
The Associated Press is reporting that Labor Secretary Hilda Solis will announce the change on Wednesday. Read the full story by going here.
UPDATE: Bad news. Chris Geidner at Metro Weekly is reporting that the change will be limited to requiring leave for workers to care for the child of a same-sex partner. Geidner says requiring leave to care for a same-sex partner would conflict with the Defense of Marriage Act. Did the Associated Press get it wrong?
