Andrew Moss
After Dallas Area Rapid Transit officials refused to meet with a former police officer about offering domestic partner benefits, Resource Center Dallas met with DART officials this week.
RCD’s Rafael McDonnell, CEO Cece Cox and board member Gary Fraundorfer, who is vice president of human resources at AT&T, met with DART Deputy Executive Director Jesse Oliver this week to discuss LGBT issues after RCD sent a letter requesting a meeting.
McDonnell said the meeting went well and Oliver encouraged them to speak to board members and offered his personal support.
“He outlined and stated his support for LGBT issues,” he said.
McDonnell said it will take some “serious educating” of DART board members before they’ll vote to add DP benefits.
He said the discussion also touched on trans health services and other LGBT issues, but those would also require the board’s approval.
Former employee Andrew Moss created a Change.org petition a few weeks ago to get DART to add DP benefits after health issues prevented him from working. His husband still works for DART.
Although DART refused to meet with Moss, he said he helped RCD meet with Oliver because the organization had tried to schedule meetings with no success.
McDonnell said the “petition has certainly put DP benefits on their radar.” He told Moss about how the meeting went, and Moss said he thinks board members won’t need too much education if the problem and inequality was explained to them.
“I really, honestly believe if you have the support of executive management, I don’t see why it wouldn’t happen,” he said.
Overall, he said he’s glad DART agreed to meet with someone about the issue and believes DART will soon offer the benefits.
“I feel very optimistic,” Moss said. “I think it’s going to turn out like it should.”