The Foreign Service Journal, June 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2015 19 plus one” insurance and other benefits policies. If the department isn’t willing to modernize its policies (or is just too cheap to do so), it may as well drop any pretense of being serious about winning the so-called “war for talent.” An even-handed partner support policy—accessible by all, without respect to marriage—could be based on the relationship affidavit requirements contained in State’s current same-sex domestic partner program. It would reflect service equities across our institu- tion and community. It would be fair, and would help State assure talent mobility to meet mission-based needs. It also would reflect the realities of today’s workforce expectations, in a highly competitive international job market. Given the strains that overseas service inherently places on newly minted, not- yet-ready-to-marry couples, unmarried employees don’t need shotgun weddings. They need employment mechanisms to support their developing relationships, and to help lead toward stable marriages. Given the fact that unmarried LGBT employee families already can receive partnership benefits, surely legal issues can be resolved to extend those same benefits to all unmarried employees. Watching Each Other’s Back A decade ago, when I was fighting the department’s old, exclusionary poli- cies, I became disillusioned at how little support I received from our Bureau of Human Resources. Indeed, the director general at the time told me flatly and definitively that nothing could be done. Ultimately, that proved not to be the case. When Senator Obama’s campaign called me in 2008 and pledged to fix these policies, I began a journey toward believ- ing again in the political process. By the time I sat down with Secretary-designate Clinton, during the transition, to discuss the discriminatory impact of State’s practices, her leadership in seeking a policy reversal seemed certain. She and Cheryl Mills, her talented chief of staff, approached gender and LGBT equality from the standpoint of principle. This time, I want to believe that the department’s senior-most career management leaders—those on the seventh floor, and in the front offices of key bureaus—will be our champions. I want them to present the case not only as to why continued LGBT accommodation is needed, for the well-being of gay and lesbian personnel who serve abroad, but how the service equities of our unmar- ried straight colleagues demand the same treatment for them. I want our career managers to fight for what’s right for the long-term future of our Service, and of the men and women who support Ameri- can interests abroad. I say this not to minimize the impor- tance of political leadership. Sec. Kerry is a proven LGBT ally, and one who surely understands that supporting his people is critical to their, and ultimately his, suc- cess. I’d like his tenure to be remembered for ratcheting personnel policies forward to better meet the needs of our multifac- eted workforce. But wouldn’t it be heartwarming if those charged with advancing career Ser- vice needs were the ones to stand up and champion those changes? Wouldn’t it be reassuring to know that we in the career Service have each other’s back? The question isn’t whether we career diplomats, past and present, can take a leadership role in transforming our per- sonnel support from good to great. I know we can. The question is whether we will. n AFSA Scholarship AFSA.org/Scholar Carlsbad International School carlsbadschool.cz Clements Worldwide clements.com Embassy Risk Management Embassyrisk.com The Hirshorn Company Hirshorn.com/USFS McGrath Real Estate Services McGrathRealEstate.com Peake Management, Inc. www.peakeinc.com PROMAX Management Inc. promaxrealtors.com WJD Management wjdpm.com