Update on equal benefits for foreign service officers
May 20, 2009
Today at a House committee markup on the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Chairman Howard Berman reiterated Secretary of State Clinton's commitment that important changes are being implemented regarding same-sex partners of foreign service officers. After the November election the Human Rights Campaign submitted over 70 recommendations to the Obama-Biden Transition Team for actions that Executive Branch agencies could take to improve the lives of LGBT people and their families without the need for action by Congress. Among them were the below recommendations to the State Department regarding the partners of Foreign Service officers. We have been pushing State to implement these changes and have been pleased by Secretary Clinton's repeated public statements, including the assurances reiterated by Chairman Berman in today's markup, that they will be implemented. We continue to talk to a range of agencies on how to put these recommendations into action. The recommendations on partner benefits are outlined in the documents linked below [pdf files]:
- Inclusion of Foreign Service Officer's Partners in Travel Orders
- Foreign Service Institute ("FSI") Training for Same-Sex Partners
- Emergency Evacuation and Medical Evacuation from Foreign Service Officers' Posts Abroad
- Ensure Foreign Service Officers' Same-Sex Partners' Access to Post Medical Facilities, Regional Medical Units, and Visiting Regional Medical Officers when Abroad
- Grant Employment Opportunities at Posts to Same-sex Partners on the Same Basis as Different-Sex Spouses
- Issue Embassy ID Cards and Compound Access for Same-sex Partners Equivalent to Treatment of Other Eligible Family Members of Foreign Service Officers
