GLIFAA News

January 2004

Officers:

Bob Post, President, postjr@state.gov

Sarah Cohen, Policy Director, kukuziwa@yahoo.com

Angela Martin, Budget Director, amartin@usaid.gov

Tom Coleman, Communications Director, colemantm@state.gov

Curtis Ried, Outreach Director, riedcr@state.gov

Upcoming GLIFAA Events

Saturday, January 31, 10:00 AM- 2 PM: GLIFAA Winter Planning Conference at
Bob Post's house, 1529 Q St. NW, Unit 1, located at the corner of 16th and Q
opposite the Jewish Community Center. The entrance is via the iron gate at the
back of the house and is 4 blocks east of the Dupont Circle Metro Q Street exit.
This is your organization, so we need to hear from as many members as possible
on GLIFAA's future actions and priorities. The agenda defines the overall topics
for discussion, while leaving flexibility to adapt to your ideas. I look forward
to seeing you next Saturday!

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Agenda-GLIFAA Winter Planning Conference-January 31, 10 AM-2 PM, 1529 Q St.
NW, Un. 1

Breakfast snacks/drinks provided; $5 contribution for lunch - pizza, subs, salad
and soft drinks

10:00-10:15 - Welcome and Introduction

Morning Discussion Groups:

10:15-11:15 - Membership. Who are we and how can we best serve our members:
civil servants, foreign service officers, USG grantees and contractors overseas,
retirees.

10:15-11:15 - MOH: Where next? Strategic planning for further accommodations.

11:15-11:45 - Report from groups on first two sessions.

11:45-12:00 - Break to serve lunch. Sessions continue over lunch

Afternoon Discussion Groups:

12:00-1:00 - Public Diplomacy within GLIFAA. Educating our colleagues and fighting
discrimination.

12:00-1:00 - Outreach Events. What are our goals and how do we make an impact
through Pride, advertising, sponsorships, panel discussions, happy hours, receptions,
etc.

1:00-2:00 - Report on second two sessions and final remarks/discussion

February meeting - There will NOT be a February meeting. Our Winter Planning
Conference on January 31 will take the place of the meeting.

Thursday, February 19, 6-9 PM - Monthly Happy Hour, every third Thursday, at
Hamburger Mary's/Titan's (upstairs), 1337 14th St. NW, corner of Rhode Island
and 14th! First drink free with government ID or business card! Join the crowd
for a few after-work drinks. All members, friends, World Bank, other GLOBE groups
and interested folk are welcome!

GLIFAA DUES - Dues are paid every October at the beginning of the fiscal year,
so for those who have not yet paid, please make a $30 check out to "GLIFAA"
and send to: GLIFAA, P.O. Box 18774, Washington, DC 20036-8774 or bring it to
a meeting. Please include your e-mail address, agency or organization, location,
and snail-mail address. Affiliated membership is now available at a cost of
$15.00 per year. This is designed for those who work for USG contractors and
grantees overseas, Foreign Service National employees, retired USG employees
and others who believe in the mission and activities of GLIFAA and wish both
to support its goals and enjoy many of the benefits of full membership without
voting rights. No monetary cost associate membership is available to any current
employee of the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development,
or other U.S. foreign affairs agencies, or their families/partners who want
to express solidarity with GLIFAA members and our goals. Associate members are
warmly welcomed to attend and participate in many GLIFAA sponsored events.

Letter from the President

Dear GLIFAA Members and Friends:

Washington is still in a deep freeze and is now blanketed with ice and snow,
too. Politics, of course, continue to heat the place up with the Democratic
primaries suddenly turning into a race, and the State of the Union address outlining
the Republican campaign strategy. For us, the President's address brought the
specter of a constitutional amendment on marriage to the forefront, making it
more likely that gay marriage will become a central issue as we move towards
the general election campaign. I've included four clippings below to bring those
of you who have not been watching this up to date. As mentioned in the last
newsletter, you, your friends and family can make your voice heard. Check out
the links in the announcements.

Back home in the Department, GLIFAA has continued to educate our senior leadership
on the interests of gay and lesbian employees in both the Civil and Foreign
Service and to advocate for improvements in the lives of our families serving
overseas. On January 8, board members met with DG Robert Pearson, and on January
16, we met with Diplomatic Security Assistant Secretary Frank Taylor. We were
able to thank DG Pearson for the work of his staff on the MOH amendments to
the FAM, but we made it clear that our members consider the MOH policy as only
a small first step in addressing the inequalities our families face on a daily
basis. We shared with the DG the same concerns - security, health, Embassy access,
employment, training and other issues - that we raised with Secretary Powell
last April, and we requested that HR turn their focus to these issues following
the time-intensive effort of amending the FAM. We shared much of the same information
with A/S Taylor; however, our main goal with DS was to clarify Department policy
on background checks for MOH's. The partners of some members have been asked
to sign consent forms to conduct background checks. DS is investigating and
has promised to reply soon. We emphasized that they would get more cooperation
from MOH's were they to issue badges for unclassified access following a positive
security review, noting that some Posts already do this. The overall tone of
the meeting was positive. A/S Taylor affirmed that he would not tolerate discrimination
on the basis of sexual orientation. I will report back on the question of background
checks.

Two new folks have volunteered to fill the shoes of our TDY board members (Ken
Kero and David Tessler will be in sunny Baghdad for the next six months). Sarah
Cohen, with USAID, will be our Policy Director, and Curtis Ried, going next
summer to Indonesia, will be our Outreach Director. With their generous help,
we hope to tackle both a renewed policy strategy for greater equality and interesting
GLIFAA events throughout the Spring and into Pride month. Keep an eye on the
announcements and reminders!

In an earlier newsletter, I promised progress on revamping our website and database.
Thanks to the hard work of Tom Coleman, we have signed a contract and expect
to have a much more user-friendly system in place by Spring. Interconnectivity
will be the key improvement, with a password-protected section of the site for
members that will allow us to update our own information, elect to sign up for
listservs, pay dues online and choose whether or not to make certain information
(such as e-mail addresses) available to other full members who want to learn
more about their postings. We are very excited by the plans and look forward
to unveiling the new site for all of you soon!

As those of you who work in Political Sections know, the Department will soon
release the annual Human Rights report. Violations of human rights based on
sexual orientation have been part of the report for several years now. I joined
the leading American NGO's in this field, the International Gay and Lesbian
Human Rights Committee (IGLHRC), Amnesty International Outfront, and the Human
Rights Watch for a meeting this week with DRL Deputy A/S Michael Kozak. We discussed
the improved content of the report and agreed on more cooperation to insure
greater coverage. The participants also discussed the first-ever introduction
by Brazil of a resolution on non-discrimination based on sexual orientation
in the UNHCR last year and the expected U.S. position when the resolution is
introduced, as expected, again this year. DAS Kozak said that no decision had
yet been made and welcomed any information the groups might offer. Lastly, HRW
is planning a panel session in D.C. with Barney Frank, possibly on March 8,
as a roll-out of their new report on the continuing arrests of gay men in Egypt.
HRW is eager to have GLIFAA members attend. I'll pass on the details soon.

GLIFAA members in the field can help insure greater coverage of human rights
abuses based sexual orientation. You are more likely to know the real situation
on the ground than are most Political Officers. Unless there is an unusually
egregious example of discrimination, it is probably too late to include anything
in this year's report, but start talking to your colleagues now about next year's
report. I encourage you to collect information throughout the year about the
overall atmosphere in your country and specific incidents that you believe may
merit inclusion and to share this information with the officer who has responsibility
for the report. The instructions package for the report calls on drafters to
cover any official or societal discrimination against persons with HIV/AIDS.
The instructions also request that the drafter discuss a history of societal
violence against homosexuals and the government's response.

Finally, we need to remember that the voices of our members are our strongest
weapons in pushing the Department for greater equality and that the Department
listens closely to our newest colleagues in Entry Level. See the announcement
below on how to write the DG via DGDirect (dgdirect@state.gov) and speak up
when you have the opportunity, as did several of our members at the recent Entry
Level Conference in Manila. After hearing them, Louise Crane reported in the
recent AFSA VP Update that the two biggest issues were employment for spouses
and the treatment of MOH's (including employment of MOH's). Kathy Peterson and
the DG heard this message at the conference and many more got the message via
the AFSA update. Thanks to you Entry Level officers out there for raising the
flag so high! Keep speaking out!

Bob Post
GLIFAA President

Announcements

Training:
1. February 7 9-1 PM. FSI Transition Center Presents MQ203, Singles in the Foreign
Service. The course is open to USG employees. Call 703-302-7268 or e-mail FSITCTraining@state.gov
by February 5 to register. Location is at NFATC.

2. SIGN UP FOR TRAINING ON DIVERSITY: PT-225 Opportunity to enroll in "Valuing
Diversity in the Workplace"

Today's workforce is increasingly diverse, and working well together is key
to individual and organizational success. Mutual understanding and appreciation
across the wide variety of dimensions of diversity contributes directly to effective
communication, teamwork, and productivity. This one-day workshop will introduce
participants to information and skills that will improve their ability to work
well with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Audience:
This workshop is intended for employees who are NOT in supervisory/managerial positions.

Schedule:
9 am-4 pm Feb. 18, 2004, April 15, 2004, June 16, 2004, August 11, 2004

For Enrollment Contact: Executive Programs Division, Leadership and Management
School (703) 302-7194. Send DS-755 to the Registrar's Office at

FSI/NFATC; Room F-2210; SA-42.

Legislation:
1. The Early Treatment of HIV Act (S. 847) would permit state Medicaid programs
to cover low-income, HIV-positive Americans before they develop AIDS. Following
are links to:

Information: For more information click here

Action: http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/ethaurge_house/gwedxx24j78xx6

2. The Federal Marriage Amendment. As promised in my letter, we've kept in these
links allowing you to send letters directly to your Congressmen on the proposed
Amendment:

http://www.aclu.org/LesbianGayRights/LesbianGayRights.cfm?ID=9977&c=101

http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/fma_oppose_dec

Foreign Affairs Manual - Check the most recent version of 3FAM for the addition
of Commerce and USAID to the MOH policy. They recently signed, so State is annotating
the FAM entry to reflect that.

Books: GLIFAA presented Secretary Powell a copy of the Lavender Scare while
he was recuperating from surgery over the holidays. We haven't heard a reaction
yet, but felt that this was an important book to be in the Secretary's library!
For those of you who have not yet seen the book, it is a must read for all State
Department employees, but particularly GLIFAA members. The State Department
was at the center of the homosexual equivalent of the Red Scare in which approximately
1,000 State Department employees were fired during the 1950's for homosexuality.
Historian David K. Johnson here relates the frightening, untold story of how,
during the Cold War, homosexuals were considered as dangerous a threat to national
security as Communists. Charges that the Roosevelt and Truman administrations
were havens for homosexuals proved to be a potent political weapon, sparking
a "Lavender Scare" more vehement and long-lasting than McCarthy's
Red Scare. Relying on newly declassified documents, years of research in the
records of the National Archives and the FBI, and interviews with former civil
servants, Johnson recreates the vibrant gay subculture that flourished in New
Deal-era Washington and takes us inside the security interrogation rooms where
thousands of Americans were questioned about their sex lives. The homosexual
purges ended promising careers, ruined lives, and pushed many to suicide. But,
as Johnson also shows, the purges brought victims together to protest their
treatment, helping launch a new civil rights struggle. You can purchase the
book on amazon.com or other commercial sites. The GLIFAA Board gave it to Secretary
Powell as a Christmas gift. We think it would be a great book to review in the
Foreign Service Journal, so be please let us know if you have read it and would
like to do a review!

Write to the DG! DG DIRECT: Department employees can write to the DG directly,
so we encourage members who have specific issues or stories that they think
are worth sharing with the DG to write to DG Direct (dgdirect@state.gov). Many
people are not aware of this opportunity, but the DG does pay attention to what
comes in on DG Direct. Remember your diplomacy skills and get your fingers typing!

SUPPORT "THE REAL POST REPORTS"!!

The "Tales from a Small Planet" website is becoming the place for gay and lesbian expats to gather information on long-term living conditions overseas. There are now over 50 countries listed in the gay and lesbian section with information such as the following: Riga, Latvia: "Host government is very accommodating. Several (non-US) diplomats have accredited same-sex partners. " Caracas, Venezuela: "I definitely never heard of people being hassled for their sexual orientation and, given that we knew gay Caraquenos, I don't think it was a real issue." This non-profit organization depends on charitable
contributions, so if you find this site useful, go to the online contributions section and help them out. GLIFAA makes a small contribution each year to make their work possible. Also, they are eager to make the site more useful for us, so write to GLIFAA or directly to "Tales" with your suggestions. AND, please contribute information about your country! The site is http://www.talesmag.com/resources/glbt.shtml.

Press Clippings

1. Bush edges closer to marriage amendment: State of the Union slam on gay marriage
surprises activists (Washington Blade, 1/23)

http://washingtonblade.com/2004/1-23/news/national/bush.cfm

2. Same-Sex Marriage: Most Oppose It, But Balk at Amending Constitution (ABC News)

http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/Relationships/same_sex_marriage_poll_040121.html

3. On gay marriage, Bush co-opts polarizing issue (Int'l Herald Tribune, 1/22)

http://www.iht.com/articles/126065.html

4. The State Department works for the American Left in Macedonia (The National
Review, 1/06)

http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/houston200401060853.asp

5. U.N. Staffers May Get Benefits for Gay Partners (NewsMax.com, 1/30/04)

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/1/29/231054.shtml

Membership

GLIFAA is the officially recognized organization representing gay and lesbian
personnel in the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID), Foreign Commercial Service, Foreign Agricultural Service and other
foreign affairs entities.

For more information -- or to become a member -- please go to our website at
www.glifaa.org or email us at GLIFAA@hotmail.com
________________________________________

Newsletter Policy: Items submitted for publication in the GLIFAA News should
be sent via e-mail to Terry Anderson at GLIFAA2@attglobal.net. Items received
by the 10th of the month will be included (subject to editing) in that month's
edition of the GLIFAA News, which is published soon after the 15th of each month.
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