Lgbt Letter To Secty. Clinton 2-2-09

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Februarv 2.2009 The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, D.C. 20520

Dear Madam Secretary: Congratulations on your confirmation as our new Secretary of State. We welcome your leadership in promoting America's security and standing in the world and look forward to working in partnership with you. As you begin your work, we hope that you will also focus on equahzingthe internal State Department rules and regulations for lesbian, Edy, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Foreign and Civil Service employees. Recently, you received a letter from the goup Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies (GLIFAA), signed by over 2,200 government employees, expressing their concems on this issue. As in the case of former Ambassador to Romania Michael Guest, the inequitable treatment of LGBT Foreign and Civil Service Officers (FSOs) and their partners should not be the reason why highly qualified employees leave the State Department at a time when their service is needed more than ever. Many of these inequities, however, could be remedied through your leadership as Secretary, without legislative changes.

As you may know, by not including same-sex partners in the definition of an "Eligible Family Member" (EFM), the Department excludes them from many of the State Department benefits, protections, and services afforded to family members of FSOs. These benefits are important to the safety, effectiveness, and morale of our communities abroad.

We are particularly concerned that the Department has not taken enough steps to assure the safety and security of non-EFM partners of FSOs. According to the State Department's own literature, 85% of FSOs are likely to be a victim of crime at some point during their overseas career. While same-sex partners are now allowed to take security classes through the Foreign Service Institute, their access is only on a spaceavailable basis. Moreover, they are still denied access to embassy health services, even in countries where grave health crises exist. They are not included in protocols for the distribution of Tamiflu in the event of an avian flu outbreak, undercutting the most basic preventive step against a potential pandemic outbreak. Further, if an evacuation is

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are not FSOs, these individuals lead dedicated lives

of service, and deserve the

opportunity to provide for their families' During your confirmation hearing, you pledged to examine current policies relating to lesbian and gay employees at the State Department. As you work to advance America's national security and exemplify this great country's values around the world, we hope you will follow through on this pledge and also work to fully support your diverse workforce. Madam Seuetary, we would be pleased to work with you in addressing these matters and look forward to your response. If you have any questions, please contact Amber Shipley of Rep. Baldwin's staff at 202-225-2906. Sincerely,

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Member of Congress

uss Feingold U.S. Senator

U.S. Senator