The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2006

70 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / J U L Y - A UGU S T 2 0 0 6 A F S A N E W S AFSA’S 2006 DISSENT AWARD WINNERS S ecretary Rice’s Transformational Diplomacy initiative states that the U.S. “must send out into the world a diplo- matic ... corps that reflects [its] great diversity.” However, the department’s own regulations impede that goal through pro- visions that discriminate against unmarried partners of Foreign Service personnel. Ambassador Michael Guest has been selected for the Herter Award for his efforts to push the State Depart- ment to adopt family-friendly policies for all families, and to ensure that Members of Household are treated fairly and equi- tably by the foreign affairs agencies. At the Foreign Service Institute, where he is serving as dean of the Leadership and Management School, Amb. Guest has qui- etly but persistently advocated that partners be given the same training and other oppor- tunities afforded to spouses. “Training is not a benefit, but a core requirement for the security of those who live abroad on behalf of the United States, and for the effective- ness of our mission,” Guest believes. “The department’s dis- criminatory disregard for unmarried partners, whether gay or straight, is an issue of work force fairness and equity.” As ambassador to Romania, where he served with distinction from 2001 to 2004 with his life partner by his side, Guest found that the inequities for unmarried partners were creating a nega- tive morale issue for the community as a whole. A number of employees at post, both gay and straight, had unmarried part- ners. They had been refused training that would have benefited their security, and were denied access to embassy facilities and services. Amb. Guest has been patient but insistent in urging the department to revise internal regulations so that partners of State Department employees are accorded protections, training and benefits now provided only to spouses. Current reg- ulations are particularly unfair to gay and lesbian employees, who cannot marry but whose partners nonetheless are denied basic training and benefits accorded to heterosexual spouses. These inequities also affect heterosexual employees in committed relationships who are not married but are part of U.S. mission communities abroad. Recognizing that the “best and brightest” of the Foreign Service are sometimes also homosexual, Amb. Guest has sought to promote a diverse Foreign Service whose members are distin- guished by talent, and where discrimination is not tolerated. He has encouraged the department to recognize that gay and lesbian FSOs serve on the front lines in often dangerous and difficult conditions. He has highlighted to management the fact that their partners, unlike the spouses of heterosexual FSOs, cannot receive security training, will not be evacuated in an emergency or assisted by embassy medical personnel during an epidemic and do not receive the protection of a diplomatic visa. Amb. Guest does not seek special “gay rights;” rather, he seeks fairness and equity for all employees. Dissatisfied with the status quo, Amb. Guest continues to press department man- agers to remedy these inequities so that the talented work force of the Foreign Service can serve as the team it should be and can channel its full energies in directions that will benefit the United States. In addition to FSI and Bucharest, during his 24 years in the Foreign Service, Amb. Guest served in Prague as deputy chief of mission, in Paris as deputy political counselor and in Embassy Moscow’s political section. InWashington, he has served as principal deputy assistant secretary and acting assis- tant secretary for the Bureau of Legislative Affairs, as deputy executive secretary of the State Department andWhite House assistant press secretary during the Reagan administration. He has received the State Department’s Superior Honor Award five times. While serving as ambassador to Romania, he received the prestigious Charles E. Cobb Award for Initiative and Success in Trade Development. Amb. Guest is a Phi Beta Kappa and holds an M.A. from the University of Virginia and a B.A. from Furman University. Christian A. Herter Award FOR A SENIOR-LEVEL FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER Michael E. Guest The constructive dissent awards recognize individuals who have demonstrated the courage to challenge the system from within. Top: Amb. Guest is sworn in as ambassador to Romania, 2001. Bottom: Romanian children in traditional regional garb meet Amb. Guest.