The Foreign Service Journal, June 2004

One indication of the OBC’s inclusive approach is that it recently added a new question to the informal survey sent to all posts: “What factors might be of interest or concern to gay singles or couples at your post?” As one might expect, the majority of A-100 students at FSI are quite welcoming to their gay and lesbian colleagues. Case in point: Patrick Wingate, proba- bly the first FSO in a gay mar- riage, who recently graduated from his A-100 class. Wingate is married to Rami Shakra, a citizen of Canada, where same-sex marriage is legal. The cou- ple is adopting a child from Guatemala, who was expected to join them in May or June. Wingate will adopt the baby, who will then be an EFM — though Rami will not be. Wingate reports a very friend- ly atmosphere at FSI. “For example, the A-100 [class] pulled together and threw me and Rami a baby shower. Sixty- one out of 90 people contributed to the gift.” Different Strokes at Different Posts It’s at overseas posts, of course, that MOH policy gets its real test. AFSA President Louise Crane says that from what she hears, “A major- ity of posts are welcoming.” The AFSA members who replied to the Journal ’s call for personal accounts with MOH policy report a great variety of experiences — some welcoming, some hostile, some indifferent. One gay FSO writes, “In practice, the extent to which domestic partners are M E M B E R S O F H O U S E H O L D J U N E 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 21 The gaps between MOH policy and practice affect more than the employees and MOHs — they undermine the functioning of the Foreign Service itself.