The Foreign Service Journal, June 2004

vate sector, and they’re used to a tolerant approach there. Crane tells the Journal that when she met with Secretary of State Colin Powell in March 2004, with Director General W. Robert Pearson also in attendance, one topic of discussion was the definition of EFMs. Crane says of her talk with the Secretary and the DG, “We said, would you please look at broadening the definition of EFMs with an eye to including adult children, parents and siblings, as well as opposite-sex and same-sex partners? The director general piped up at that point, saying ‘Everything we do conforms to M E M B E R S O F H O U S E H O L D 26 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 0 4 In June 1984 I proudly joined the Foreign Service as a member of the 80th USIA junior officer class. On day two of our training we were welcomed by the head of security, Bernard C. Dowling, who proceeded to tell us that there was no room for “homos” in USIA, and, “if you are queer, you’re out.” I thought, my career is over and I haven’t even started yet. Our class then joined up with the new State A-100 class for training, where a briefer from DS told us of the department’s policy on the issue saying, and I quote, “We used to spend 90 percent of our time fag-chasing, but we stopped that. You can be queer in the State Department, we just don’t want to hear about it.” Oh, good, I thought, maybe I can stay — and by the way, welcome to the Foreign Service. Flash forward. Nineteen years, seven assignments, five promotions and four languages later, on Aug. 31, 2003, I arrived at my new post as counselor for public affairs in Brasilia. The following day, my Brazilian hus- band Emerson and I were welcomed to post at a lunch at the home of DCM Dick Virden and his wife Linda, joined by Ambassador Donna Hrinak. Their message to me was clear and explicit: both of you are very welcome to the U.S. mission in Brazil. I thought at that moment, “You’ve come a long way, baby.” A month later Amb. Hrinak hosted a welcome recep- tion at the residence to introduce us to several hundred public affairs contacts. As we stood with her welcoming the guests she introduced us to one and all as “Patrick and his partner Emerson.” The next day we made the Brazilian gossip columns with a short item in a Rio tabloid, “Modernity Comes to Diplomacy.” It breathless- ly told its readers how Amb. Hrinak had introduced her new counselor and his partner, “in the most intimate sense of that word,” to Brasilia’s elite. I could not have found a more welcoming post than Embassy Brasilia, and we have come a long way since 1984 — but not far enough. The MOH policy was a huge advance, and it is nice to have the respect of the Secretary and senior management. But as Emerson and I transferred from Japan to Brazil via Washington, we hit a lot of closed doors where MOHs need not apply. The department did not give me a plane ticket for Emerson, nor would it give me no-cost travel orders so that I could at least buy a government rate ticket. For Emerson’s tick- et we paid full fare: Tokyo–Washington–Brasilia. Ouch! The department would pay toward the shipment of my dog, because as stated in an admin memo a few years back, “pets are important for morale,” but they wouldn’t give me a dime for my husband’s ticket. FSI refused to allow Emerson to attend the SOS Seminar. The course is required for FSOs and recommended for EFMs, because as we all know family members are sub- ject to the same dangers as officers, but even after AFSA intervened on my behalf, FSI absolutely refused to allow him to attend. What it comes down to is that the MOH policy stops at the water’s edge where money is involved. MOHs get nothing that costs money — no plane tickets, no train- ing, no health care coverage, no pension benefits, and for those of us not partnered with a U.S. citizen, no fiancee visas or expedited citizenship for our life part- ners. The MOH policy is great as far as it goes, but it does not go far enough. It got us onto the bus — but we’re still riding in the back. Patrick J. Linehan Public Affairs Officer Chairman, U.S.- Brazil Fulbright Commission Embassy Brasilia The Back of the Bus