"The President's and My Opinion"

From John Berry at his swearing in as OPM Director:

"The sweep of history is a little bit on display this afternoon as well. I would like to recognize a civil rights pioneer who is here with us today, Dr. Frank Kameny. Dr. Kameny was a military veteran and a life-long activist. For those of you who do not know, Dr. Kameny was fired from his federal job in 1957 solely because of his sexual orientation. In 1975, largely due to Frank's efforts, this injustice was corrected...it is the president's and my opinion that employees should only be judged by their ability to do the job and their performance on the job, and not by any other irrelevant practice. In no small part, Dr. Kameny's work and others like him made it possible for me to stand here today. For that, Frank, I personally thank you for your leadership, your passion, and your persistence."