THE WASHINGTON BLADE
July 7, 2003
MAIN FEATURE

Serving with pride in Foreign Affairs
For 11 years, GLIFAA has worked to bring equality to gays working in Foreign Affairs

By BRYAN ANDERTON

For some, Independence Day is a time for cookouts with the family. For many, it's about fireworks. And for others, it's a time to reflect on the freedoms U.S. residents enjoy.

Many gays and lesbians, however, will be quick to point out that not all Americans enjoy the same amount of freedom.

But one group is doing what it can to ensure gays who work in the Foreign Service, at least, will be treated the same as their straight colleagues. Gays & Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies (GLIFAA) has been working to change State Department policies from a time when gays were routinely denied security clearances based solely on their sexual orientation. In recent months, the group has achieved a number of milestones, from obtaining a meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell to carrying out one of its busiest Pride months ever.

Bob Gilchrist, the group's president, says GLIFAA is successful because its members are a vocal part of the State Department.

“We meet with people regularly,” Gilchrist says. “They know who we are; they know our concerns. We're not something that pops up once a year. We're a known entity for these guys.”

Last month, the group sponsored a number of events in conjunction with Pride month, including a speech by gay rights activist Judy Shepard, who told about 300 GLIFAA members that her late son, Matthew Shepard, had wanted to go into the Foreign Service. She said she always thought his sexual orientation would get in the way of that dream.

“Her speech really reminded me how important it is to keep working past how comfortable we are in our own issues, and how our work here resonates with gay youth,” says Bryan Dalton, a founder and former president of GLIFAA.

The group achieved another milestone in April when several of its members met with Powell. It marked the first time in the GLIFAA's 11-year history that it had met with a sitting Secretary of State. At the meeting, group members discussed with Powell the ways in which their personal lives affected their professional lives, especially when it came to working overseas.

“I was able to tell him how proud I was to serve in the Foreign Service, hearing about his vision, especially concerning development and developing nations. But at the same time, that I felt betrayed because I have to put myself in extreme situations overseas, but I don't have the same benefits as my [straight] colleagues,” says Erin Krasik, a foreign service officer with the United States Agency for International Development and a former GLIFAA board member. She said Powell was “extremely responsive” to the group's concerns.

A decade of changes
Gay Foreign Service workers have come a long way since GLIFAA was founded in 1992. At the time, Diplomatic Security still used homosexuality as a reason for denying security clearances, believing it made a person more susceptible to blackmail.

But the group that started off as eight employees in a living room has expanded to more than 300 members. With that growth has come an increased visibility within the State Department, as well as a number of changes.

The State Department revised its security clearance policy shortly after the group's formation, and adopted a non-discrimination policy toward gays in 1994. In recent years, two openly gay ambassadors have served overseas — James Hormel served in Luxembourg from 1999 to 2001, and Michael Guest has served in Romania since 2001.

In 2000, the State Department enacted the “Member of Household” policy, which allowed for unmarried partners and other family members to live with Foreign Service workers overseas at no cost. Other benefits, however, including identification badges, were not included in the policy.

The group's members are thankful for the strides they've been able to make in 11 years, but still realize they have more to accomplish.

“I'm pleased with what we've been able to do,” Dalton says. “But I still feel like we have roads to travel. It would be nice to be able to snap your fingers and have it all done, but there's still work to do.”

MORE INFO
Gays & Lesbians in
Foreign Affairs Agencies
P.O. Box 18774
Washington, DC 20036
202-232-1588
www.glifaa.org