The Foreign Service Journal, November 2004

N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 17 S P E A K I N G O U T u has pledged that such efforts will continue. Nor can there be any doubt that recruiting and retaining employees of color are consistent with work force planning and the mission/core values of State and USAID. As an Asian-American, I welcome that commitment. But as a gay man, I would remind the Secretary that diversity also means attracting and retaining lesbian and gay Native Americans, Latinos, blacks, Asian- Americans — in addition to lesbian and gay white Americans — and those with disabilities (including the HIV-positive). And it means taking into account the very real needs of all employees, gay or straight, who have Members of Household (in all cate- gories) to consider and care for. One day I hope to join the Foreign Service. But right now, there is not enough evidence that USAID would be financially sup- portive of me as I fulfill my responsi- bilities both to my elderly parents and to a potential future partner — to all my family members. So until I see tangible progress in this regard, I will, reluctantly, continue to defer a decision to join.  Ajit Joshi, a Civil Service employee of the U.S. Agency for International Development since 1998, currently works in the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assis- tance. Prior to joining USAID, Joshi lived, studied and worked in sub- Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America; interned with the State Department in Maracaibo and in the Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration; consulted for the United Nations; and researched under a Fulbright Fellowship to India. He is a member of Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies, and served as a GLIFAA board member for partner- ship issues from 2000 to 2002.