The Foreign Service Journal, October 2016

14 OCTOBER 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL As a group, we have galva- nized unprecedented action for our oceans, protecting millions of square kilometers, more than twice the size of India. We’ve elevated these issue to a global stage, and we’ve educated our leaders and the public on how much our climate, food security, economic security and ultimately our future on this planet depends on the health of our oceans. —Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, speaking at the Our Ocean conference, Department of State, Washington, D.C., Sept. 15 Contemporary Quote for those who face an “ongoing serious threat” as a result of having provided criti- cal linguistic support in Afghanistan and Iraq. In the last two years, 8,000 Afghans and their immediate families were issued visas through the program. Congress has responded to the program parsimoniously, allocating the special visas piecemeal through its annual defense policy bill. Since the end of 2014, 7,000 visas have been authorized for translators and interpreters. Only 3,000 of these visas remain to be allocated, but meanwhile more than 12,000 individuals remain in line. Efforts to authorize more visas have been stymied in the Congress. “People are going to die,” Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), a staunch supporter of the program, stated bluntly during a Senate debate on the question. “Don’t you under- stand that gravity of that?” Much of the resistance seems to stem from a growing discomfort with immi- grants. One counterproposal is that for every interpreter-and-translator visa, the number of other visas available to ordi- nary immigrants should be reduced—to maintain a ceiling on the total number of immigrants entering the country. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker sus- pects a more sinister motivation, asking if anti-Muslim sentiment might be behind lawmakers’ reluctance to approve the special visas. Debating whether to help those who helped the United States is itself damag- ing, says Mr. Crocker, because it leaves people wondering, as he put it, “What kind of people are those Americans?” Restroom Rights A General Services Administration bulletin published in the Federal Register on Aug. 18 confirms that feder al employees have the right to use the rest- room that corresponds with their gender identity. This issue has received national cover- age during the last year, as schools and organizations at the state level sought to legislate the use of restrooms by transgen- der people. GSA states that failure to allow all federal workers to use a restroom cor- responding to their gender identity would be considered sex discrimination. The memo also confirms that no proof is required of federal workers wishing to avail themselves of this right. Finally, it states that employers may not restrict a transgender person to a single-user restroom, unless that restroom is also available to all employees who might choose to use it. Our Ocean, Our Future State’s Instagram Taken Over by Actor Activist Adrian Grenier T he Our Ocean conference hosted by the State Depart- ment on Sept. 15-16 drew world leaders from government, business, philanthropy and the nongovern- mental community, as well as Hollywood actor activists. The State Department Delegates Lounge was turned into an underwater wonder- land, and the Georgetown University campus was also utilized. Almost all of the events were live-streamed. More than $5 billion was committed to the cause of saving the oceans, and dozens of initiatives were launched. Many of the major speak- ers at the conference called out Sec. John Kerry especially to thank him for his leadership on the issue.