LOC subject of sex discrimination suit.

Through Librarian.net weblog I found this little piece of information about a job candidate to work at the Library of Congress who got her job rescinded. The person was to work as a terrorist analyst, and she has excellent credentials for the job in terms of education and extensive experience. The apparent reason for rescinding the job offer? The person used to be David, and is now Diane. He is undergoing the medical process of changing his gender to become a woman. The story comes from The Washington Post. She has chosen to file suit with help from the ACLU. This looks like an interesting case to watch, but it also makes you wonder about those who claim they want to hire the most qualified person then reject them outright through discrimination. It reminds me of those cases a few years ago where the military discharged nine Arabic linguists for being gay. Now, I know, and most people know, that there is a severe shortage of anybody who is fluent in Arabic. These people were doing their duty and serving their country, and their sexual orientation should not have been even an issue. I found one of the stories here, so as to give readers some context. It makes me wonder if those in power really want to win the so-called War on Terror. If it were me, I would be hiring whoever had the talents and experience to allow me to win it. Who the heck cares about the other details, such as gender orientation or race? Those details are not essential or relevant to the job, so why alienate talented people over such? And that is just on the practical side. On the human side, discrimination is simply wrong; we should be judged by the content of our character. Anyhow, a story to follow.