The Foreign Service Journal, May 2009

14 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A Y 2 0 0 9 lowances that make it feasible and at- tractive. But for someone in my situa- tion, it is simply not a viable option because these same benefits and al- lowances are denied. Because my partner cannot be on my orders, he is not entitled to remain behind at my current post or be placed on Separate Maintenance Allowance anywhere else. Nor would the depart- ment provide any assistance for his re- location. And because Daniel has no status in the U.S., he would not be able to relocate there (except possibly as a tourist). It is unfair and unreasonable to ex- pect that he find some other place in the world to live for a year; establish a new home there without any house- hold effects; and obtain new health in- surance coverage, a new job, etc. (all self-funded, of course) —and then dis- mantle it all within a year to rejoin me wherever my next assignment will be. Moreover, any financial gains I might accrue from serving in Iraq would be entirely offset by the huge costs of self- funding Daniel’s relocation. It would be interesting to know how many offi- cers who signed up for Iraq or Afghanistan would still have done so if they hadn’t been provided these bene- fits for their families. With the increasing number of un- accompanied overseas postings, and the incentives given for Iraq and Afghanistan service, it becomes harder and harder to find postings that are vi- able for our situation. There are still posts around the world that are work- able; but in addition to the normal ten- dency to see fewer overseas openings as one climbs up the career ladder, in- creasingly those that are left are being snatched up in advance by Iraq bidders or others coming out of unaccompa- nied posts. So neither Washington, Iraq nor Afghanistan works well for me — but the jobs that do fit our needs aren’t available because I haven’t punched those tickets. Change Is Coming I am encouraged by the words of support fromPresident Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the current congressional leadership for rectifying these longstanding in- equities, but the battle is far from won. It is time for gay and lesbian federal employees to receive the legal protec- tions and employment benefits they have so long done without. But it will take a concerted effort for these leg- islative and policy changes to get the necessary attention. Upon arrival at the department, Sec. Clinton was handed a letter signed by 2,200 current and former foreign affairs agency employees and Peace Corps Volunteers asking for her full consider- ation in addressing these policy con- cerns. Supposedly “sweeping” new policy recommendations from the di- rector general’s office relating to same- sex partners are reported to be currently under her review. Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Af- fairs Agencies and AFSA have also worked together closely to lobby Con- gress for necessary legislative changes. To assist them in their efforts, I en- courage everyone reading this to con- tact your congressional representatives and senators and let them know how important these changes are to the fair- ness and cohesion of our Foreign Serv- ice. Here are two key pieces of legisla- tion that should get to the president’s desk as soon as possible: The Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act , introduced in December 2007, would provide federal health benefits, family medical and emergency leave, group life insurance, long-term care and retirement benefits to federal employees with same-sex partners. To qualify, employees would need to prove that they share a house- hold and financial responsibilities with their partner. The Uniting American Families Act , reintroduced in both houses of Congress in February 2009 after hav- ing languished in various iterations since 2000, would allow U.S. citizens and permanent residents to petition for immigration benefits for same-sex part- ners under the same rules as currently apply to married couples. If passed, these two acts would rep- resent a major advancement for all gays and lesbians, with particular signifi- cance for Foreign Service employees. And hopefully the proposed State De- partment policy reforms will live up to their billing and fully address the issues highlighted already by members of Congress from both parties. In the meantime, please use Sec. Clinton’s recently established “Sound- ing Board” to voice support for these changes. Together, we can finally make the State Department and the other foreign affairs agencies the equitable and supportive workplaces they should be. ■ Steven Giegerich is a consular officer in Hong Kong. Since joining the For- eign Service in 1991, he has served in Pretoria, Frankfurt, MFO Sinai, Van- couver, Tashkent, Nassau and Athens. S P E A K I N G O U T Inaction is not only unfair, but foolish.