The Foreign Service Journal, June 2015

26 JUNE 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Have we reached full equality yet? If the next A-100 class were to welcome a lesbian candidate, her straight brother and their transgender sister, would each of them have an equal shot at suc- cess in the Foreign Service? I wish I could say yes. I wish I could say all our work was done. But instead, let me tell you some of the challenges GLIFAA is working on today. A Good Start, But… Let’s start with the positive: the great progress we have seen. Employees who fall in love with someone of the same sex may nowmarry legally in 37 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The federal government recognizes those marriages, and the employees and their spouses all enjoy the same benefits and protections fromUncle Sam as their heterosexual colleagues. In addition, transgender individuals are serving proudly in the ranks of the department and are counted among family members within our Foreign Service community. And in February, Secretary of State John Kerry announced the appointment of Randy Berry as the first Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBT Persons. With all those accomplishments, why aren’t we there yet? Well, to start, many foreign governments do not recognize our relationships. More than half of Foreign Service postings abroad are in countries that will not grant diplomatic status to our family members. In some of those societies, both the government and some citizens are actively hostile to LGBT+ persons, and GLIFAA members serving in such places face discrimination, harassment and violence. The LGBT+ staff who come to GLIFAA for support are not surprised to learn howmuch discrimination there is around the world, but they are surprised to learn how little the department does to push back against those governments. Too often, we hear that it’s the employee who feels pushed—either to go along and stop complaining, or to find another job. All of us at GLIFAA are so proud of the six out ambassadors, and of the president and the Secretary of State under whom they serve. The Obama administration has appointed more openly gay ambassadors than all its predecessors combined. Still, we have not yet seen an out woman, or an out ambassador of color. If we’re going to live up to the example of Harvey Milk and other LGBT+ pioneers, we need Secretary Kerry to keep his promise to be the first Secretary of State to appoint openly lesbian, bisexual and transgender chiefs of mission, as well. This year, transgender employees and family members in the foreign affairs community finally gained access to health insur- ance. Before that, the Office of Personnel Management required all plans to exclude any care related to gender transition, so many health care providers interpreted that language so broadly that all care for a person who had transitioned was excluded. Thankfully, OPM has changed, and those hurtful days are over. We salute the American Foreign Service Protective Association and Aetna for leading the way by offering plans that welcome our transgender colleagues. Still, our transgender peers cannot yet count on well-informed, discreet handling of information around their gender status in all personnel, medical and security channels, nor within communi- ties at posts abroad. Being transgender is very different from being lesbian, gay or bisexual. While some are proud to be out, many other transgender individuals want nothing more than to be qui- etly known as members of the gender to which they belong. Each of us should support their wishes in that regard, and address them as they wish to be addressed. Love and Marriage Many well-meaning friends and colleagues ask, “Now that gays and lesbians can get married just like anyone else, should we do away with domestic partner protections?”The answer is that, quite simply, the unique challenges faced by GLIFAAmembers mean that we can’t get married “just like anyone else.” Imagine if that lesbian officer, her straight brother and their transgender sister are all hired into A-100 as Russian speakers, then posted to Moscow, where all three fall in love with Russian women. Who would claim that these employees are similarly situated, much less that each can get married—in Moscow or anywhere—“just like anyone else”? There is simply no comparison in terms of the challenges they face—and that’s why a small but important number of GLIFAA members might never feel safe getting married. In countries around the world, a marriage certificate is a public record, and the sad truth is that any foreign diplomat can march into a Wash- ington, D.C., court and say, “I want a copy of Svetlana’s marriage certificate right now.” More than half of Foreign Service postings abroad are in countries that will not grant diplomatic status to our family members.