August 27, 1998 | Read Time: 1 minute
The I.R.S. is responding to accusations that it is biased against homosexuals by sending agents from its national office to talk to local employees about its policies on gay groups.
Marc Owens, director of the I.R.S.’s Exempt Organizations Division, explained the move in a letter to the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. The New York charity had successfully challenged the I.R.S. in two recent cases in which the government initially had been reluctant to grant charity status to gay groups. The fund questioned whether I.R.S. employees were biased against gay people.
Mr. Owens said that the national office would illustrate to local agents the concepts of “professionalism, impartiality, and fairness” by providing examples “that specifically address the issue of bias against groups that are supportive of gay men and lesbians.”
