Date: Sun, 13 Mar 1994 11:03:00 EDT From: Song Weaver Subject: SLMA Revokes Employee Protection --------------------- For immediate release --------------------- Washington, DC March 14, 1994 SALLIE MAE CORPORATION REVOKES PROTECTION ----------------------------------------- FOR ITS GAY EMPLOYEES --------------------- Sallie Mae (SLMA) is an acronym for Student Loan Marketing Association, the largest provider of financial credit for higher education in the United States. The company owns about one-third of all insured educational loans representing financing for over 5 million students. While the name "Sallie Mae" might sound like your kindly old aunt, with respect to her employees, she has been behaving like a homophobic fundie. After 19 years of providing explicit written protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation, in June of 1991 Sallie Mae's executives changed company policy to officially end this protection. Sallie Mae officials made it difficult to uncover this fact when they were questioned by gay employees. Initially they dodged the direct question and implied that no change had been made. Later, they attempted to ignore the question, but finally they were forced to admit the change. Despite requests from gay employees, the company adamantly refuses to reinstate the protection. (Documentation of these facts in the form of letters from company officials is available.) The actions of Sallie Mae are virtually identical to those of First Interstate Bank of California, which also removed corporate protection based on sexual orientation and snubbed gay employees who requested that the protection be returned. First Interstate, however, underestimated the reaction of its gay clients. When the news leaked out, a flood of calls from gay depositors to bank executives convinced them to reinstate the protection. Sallie Mae works very hard to cultivate good relations with its student borrowers, the higher education community (especially financial aid professionals) and the banking community (from which it buys its loans). If you are a gay or lesbian banker, academician, or student borrower, your brothers and sisters at Sallie Mae urge you to call or write to Sallie Mae's president, Mr. Larry Hough (pronounced "HUFF"). Please ask Mr. Hough if it was just coincidence that his company rescinded protection for sexual minorities shortly after he took over leadership of the company. Address your inquiries to: Mr. Larry Hough, President Sallie Mae 1025 Thomas Jefferson St., NW Washington, DC 20007 FAX: (202) 333-5356 Phone/Voice mail: (202) 298-2600 To find out more about this article, please send email to the address below: erewhon@digex.com