Tammy Baldwin Asks Hillary Clinton to Fix Inequities at State Dept

Rep. Tammy Baldwin sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today requesting specific inequities for gay State Department employees to be remedied, the Victory Fund reports. Said the letter:

"The lack of equitable treatment could force dedicated, intelligent, and needed FSOs (Foreign Service Officers) and officials to make an unfortunate choice between serving their country and protecting their families. As you noted during the question and answer session of your Senate Foreign Relations confirmation hearing, many other nations now extend training, protection, and benefits to the partners of LGBT employees. Further, the State Department’s past inattention to these disparities places it below parity with the best employment practices used in the private sector, where the majority of Fortune 500 companies extend employee benefit programs to cover the domestic partners. Without remedying these inequities, the State Department may fail to attract and retain qualified personnel."

The requests included:

– Inclusion in travel orders for same-sex domestic partners of Foreign Service Officers (FSOs)
– Access to training, including all language classes, area studies, and embassy effectiveness classes for same-sex domestic partners of FSOs
– Emergency evacuation and medevac from post when necessary for same-sex domestic partners of FSOs
– Access to post health units for same-sex domestic partners of FSOs
– Visa support for same-sex domestic partners accompanying FSOs to overseas postings, and for same-sex foreign-born domestic partners accompanying FSOs to postings in Washington or elsewhere in the U.S.

The letter was also signed by Senators Russ Feingold and Ron Wyden, and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

On Friday, Clinton met Michelle Schohn, president of Gays & Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies, in a meeting with other affinity groups at the agency. Schohn said that Clinton confirmed receipt of a letter from GLIFAA and reiterated a promise to review policies with regard to gay staffers. Said Schohn: "It was an overwhelmingly positive meeting. There wasn’t a lot of time to talk with her because she was meeting with all the affinity groups, so we each got a tiny chunk of time to be able to say something to her."

Clinton was sworn in today and roasted Bill Clinton, saying: "I am so grateful to him for, a lifetime of, uh...all kinds of experiences...which has given me an extraordinary richness that I am absolutely beholden to and grateful for.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

Hillary Clinton Addresses Issue of LGBT Personnel at State Department

At yesterday's Secretary of State confirmation hearings, Senator Russ Feingold asked Hillary Clinton about difficulties faced by LGBT employees at the State Department.

FEINGOLD: So I look forward to working with you. Let me switch to something completely different. There's widespread recognition of the need to build a more robust and effective diplomatic and development corps. And as a part of that effort, it, of course, makes sense to consider ways to address challenges faced by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees, particularly relating to domestic partner benefits and State Department policies that make it difficult for the partners of foreign service officers to travel and live at overseas posts. What would you do as secretary of state to address these concerns? Will you support changes to existing personnel policy in order to ensure that LGBT staff at State and USAID receive equal benefits and support?

CLINTON: Senator, this issue was brought to my attention during the transition. I've asked to have more briefing on it because I think that we should take a hard look at the existing policy. As I understand it, but don't hold me to it because I don't have the full briefing material, but my understanding is other nations have moved to extend that partnership benefit. And we will come back to you to inform you of decisions we make going forward.

Issues of inequality and unfair treatment at the State Department were highlighted last year when departing Ambassador to Romania Michael Guest criticized the agency's failure to deal with them. Guest took a parting shot at Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at his retirement ceremony for failing to answer his calls to address LGBT issues. Said Guest: "This was my last chance. I never got a response. I don't know that I expected a response. What I wanted was attention to the issue....One word from the secretary [would have spurred action]. That's what I was hoping, that I would somehow get to her heart."

Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies (GLIFAA) was pleased with the Feingold-Clinton exchange, and released the following statement:

"GLIFAA plans to present to the incoming Secretary of State a letter signed by over 2,000 current and former employees of the Department of State and other foreign affairs agencies, requesting fairness for LBGT employees. GLIFAA board members also met with members of President-elect Obama's transition team at the Department of State in December. GLIFAA President Michelle Schohn welcomed Senator Clinton's acknowledgement that fairer policies serve as good business sense. Schohn noted that LGBT U.S. diplomats and aid workers serve overseas in some of the most dangerous locations, but continue to be denied equal treatment for their families. She expressed hope that the incoming Administration would work quickly to implement overdue reforms...Among many other obstacles, LGBT partners lack access to affordable health insurance coverage and resources for moving abroad. During overseas tours, employees' partners do not receive assistance in obtaining a visa and lack access to employment opportunities, emergency evacuation, and embassy medical units, all afforded to married, heterosexual couples."

Earlier
Hillary Clinton Looks Headed for Swift Secretary of State Approval [tr]

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #238

NOT KIDDING: Coulter on campaigning for Clinton.

FEINGOLD on FISA: Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold explains FISA in 30 seconds.

BILLY BEAN: The former pro ballplayer speaks out on "ex-gay" sports therapy.

DECLINE TO STATE: A public service announcement from the Courage Campaign.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here

Gay Marriage Champ Russ Feingold Won't Run for President in '08

Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, a champion of marriage equality, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel over the weekend that he wouldn't be running for President in 2008. Feingold has been considering a run since 2005, but said that doing so would "dismantle" his professional and personal life.

Said Feingold: "I never got to that point where I'd rather be running around the country, running for president, than being a senator from Wisconsin...It would have required the craziest combination of things in the history of American politics to make it work."

Feingold has been vocal in both his opposition to a federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriage as well as full marriage equality for gays and lesbians.

Added Feingold, who did not rule out a run in the future: "I began with the feeling I didn't really want to do this but was open to the possibility that getting around the country would make me want to do it. That never happened. People have always portrayed me as ambitious. I'm not ashamed of that. But I have never had a craving to be president of the United States. I used to say it when I was 5 or 7 years old. But I haven't really been saying it as an adult."

Feingold said his first choice for a presidential candidate would be someone he sees eye-to-eye with on Iraq, but stopped short of endorsing anyone: "The first choice would be somebody who voted against this unfortunate Iraq war. That may not be available. Second choice is somebody who at least said it was a bad idea. . . . I would be happy if Obama or (Al) Gore ran."

Feingold rules out 2008 run for president [milwaukee journal sentinel]

Russ Feingold And Arlen Specter in Heated Exchange [tr]
Feingold Comes Out for Gay Marriage [tr]

Russ Feingold on Meet the Press

A lot of folks are talking about Russ Feingold's appearance Sunday on Meet the Press. I agree, the Democrats could learn a lot from the Wisconsin Senator about articulating their message:

"The worst thing we could possibly do is what Vice President Cheney and President Bush did, which was take us into an unnecessary war that had nothing to do with 9/11 on false pretenses. They have done the worst thing that’s ever been done in this regard. The question is, do we just keep making the same mistake over and over again? Do we just stay in Iraq so that Cheney and Bush can say that, that they were right? That appears to be why we’re there. That appears to be the only logical reason to stay in a situation that is draining our military, that is hurting our recruiting, that is allowing Osama bin Laden to have us exactly where he wants us."

Finally, a Real Democrat [keith boykin]
Feingold Doesn't Support Lieberman — Hammers Bush/Cheney [crooks & liars]

You may have missed...
Russ Feingold and Arlen Specter in Heated Exchange [tr]
Feingold Comes Out for Gay Marriage [tr]

Russ Feingold today issued a statement following his walkout on the "mark-up" of the proposed Constitutional Amendment that would ban gay marriage.

From the heartland: new Indiana poll shows that a majority of that state's residents support hospital visitation rights and inheritance rights for gays and lesbians. Meanwhile, in South Bend, home of Notre Dame, they're hoping to add sexual orientation to the city's non-discrimination statute.

Bodyguard of famous pop star or 70's gay porn icon?

Edmund White, the accidental activist: "Just sheerly inadvertently I happened to be at the Stonewall uprising because I was walking past it with a friend and we got involved. If anything, I was trying to make people behave. I was such a middle-class twit. I think I have sort of stumbled into history. It’s as though someone would happen to be walking past the Bastille at exactly the moment when it was being destroyed. It actually did change me. In my case, I think being in this exciting ferment, it did make me feel free almost in spite of myself. Rationally I couldn’t think of any way to justify homosexuality. I was in therapy to go straight. But irrationally and maybe on the level of the soul if you will, I responded with tremendous excitement and enthusiasm to this uprising."

Aside from the fact that what the article describes is absolutely revolting, this has got to be the headline of the week.

The age old question: Three experts try to explain why gay men in Sydney, Australia are not monogamous.