The Foreign Service Journal, May 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2013 35 LGBT individuals around the world, so that equality does not end at our borders. As Sec. Clinton so simply, yet forcefully, put it in a 2011 speech marking International Human Rights Day: “Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.” We are fortunate Secretary of State John Kerry shares his predecessor’s commitment to this cause. He was one of just 14 senators to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act back in 1996, and has been a vocal supporter of marriage equality since 2011. Advocating Equality Now that America has seen the light on issues of LGBT equality, we have become advocates for treating gay rights as an integral aspect of the promotion of human rights worldwide. After years of opposition, the United States’ decision to support a 2011 United Nations resolution condemning discrimination against LGBT citizens was instrumental in getting it passed in the Human Rights Council against the fierce opposition of Rus- sia and some African and Islamic countries. When asked how the U.N. resolution would affect gays and lesbians in countries that opposed the resolution, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Daniel Baer said it showed “that there are many people in the international community who stand with them and support them, and that change will come.” “It’s a historic method of tyranny to make you feel that you are alone,” he said. “One of the things that this resolution does for people everywhere, particularly LGBT people everywhere, is to remind them that they are not alone.” For GLIFAA, the journey continues as we strive to fulfill our motto: Pride. Every day. The world over. n GLIFAA members discuss issues with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Resources Marcia S. Bernicat, center, at the group’s 20th-anniversary event. David Kero-Mentz