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Greetings!
I hope you took the opportunity during Pride Month to make a small step personally or professionally to celebrate diversity and assist in championing GLBT equality.
The new GLIFAA Board, elected in late March, is looking for specific testimonials about being GLBT and serving your country. Please email GLIFAA@yahoo.com if you have a story to share. Also, we certainly want to help publicize local Embassy or other events that deal with GLBT equality.
-The GLIFAA Board
P.S. Hope you enjoy this new Newsletter format - and name. Please provide feedback to Ashton Giese via the GLIFAA@yahoo.com address.
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July Events
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Happy Hour At Jack's - Wednesday, July 11 6 - 8pm
Join us for $3 Margaritas at Jack's - on 17th Street NW between Church and Q (they also have half-priced burgers for dinner afterwards!)
Open Forum at FSI - For Foreign Service Employees
GLIFAA will have a table at the FSI Open Forum on July 10th from 12-4 PM in the Wood Lobby |
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GLIFAA Turns Out for Pride Parade |
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GLIFAA President, Aaron Jensen 
The GLIFAA Board would like to thank everyone that came, socialized, marched, or helped to organize what turned out to be a banner day!
The afternoon of June 9 began with a good turnout of around forty people at the reception. The gathering included folks who have been members of GLIFAA for several years, new recruits coming into the next A-100 class, new employees, and colleagues from the Foreign Agricultural and Foreign Commercial Services. It was a good mix of people and with warm, sunny weather, everyone had a great time.
Once we maneuvered downstairs to our starting point, we had a total of about fifteen marchers. We were towards the front of the parade, which began late, as usual. People cheered, waved, whistled and showed their support. Every few blocks, another GLIFAA member from the crowd jumped in, so we reached twenty or so marchers by the end. I recommend it to all of you next year. We looked good with a mix of international garb and GLIFAA T-shirts.
Being towards the front, we were able to see much of the parade move by once we reached the end. We were lined up near other federal groups, with the Library of Congress GLOBE right in front of us. The most outlandish and creative floats and groups were about ten minutes behind us and represented sports clubs and, the various bars. I would say the loudest cheering though came with the religious groups and churches, followed by PFLAG (Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays). The loud applause received by the friends and families was quite moving.
If you are in Washington next year, please march with us!
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| Please pay your dues! |
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| All GLBT members of federal foreign affairs agencies
The new GLIFAA Board will be holding quarterly educational forums as well as social events and is planning new avenues to advocate for your rights as GLBT members of the federal government.
Please show your monetary support.
Thanks!!!
-The GLIFAA Board |
Black History Month Event
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Keith Boykin - Are Gay Rights Civil Rights?
In recognition of Black History Month, GLIFAA invited former Clinton White House aide Keith Boykin to discuss "Are gay rights civil rights?" in the Department of State's Loy Henderson Auditorium on February 6, 2007. Boykin is a well known gay African American in American media, politics and literature, and is a host of the BET television show "My Two Cents" and a New York Times bestselling author of three books.
During his talk, Boykin took former Secretary of State Colin Powell to task for not understanding the similarity of the struggle for equal rights by gays and African-Americans. Boykin compared the Senate debate in 1947 concerning the integration of African-Americans in the U.S. military with the Senate debate in 1993 over the integration of gays and lesbians in the U.S. military. The arguments regarding "unit cohesion" utilized to keep African Americans out of integrated units in the U.S. military in 1947 were identical to the arguments used to bar gays and lesbians from military service today. In both instances the arguments used to bar African Americans in 1947 and the arguments used to bar gays and lesbians have nothing to do with our fitness to serve. All the arguments used against both African Americans and the LGBT community are about the ability of the majority community to accept the newly entering minority community. History has demonstrated the U.S. military's ability to adapt to African Americans, women and now many gays and lesbians serve with relative openness with no impairment to "unit cohesion."
Boykin concluded optimistically that the LGBTQ community will achieve equal rights in the coming years. The audience responded warmly and Boykin fielded many questions after his presentation. Many thanks to Bruce Knotts, a former GLIFAA board member, for spearheading and putting the event together. |
| Please Participate in this DOS Survey! |
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For Current Foreign Service Officers
MED/FLO Survey on Service at Unaccompanied Posts State Medical Services and the Family Liaison Office (MED/FLO) are
conducting a survey of Foreign Service Officers (State and USAID)
who have served in Unaccompanied and Critical Priority Countries
within the past 5 years. The information gathered from this survey
will be used to better inform the Department's policies and
programs to support those on Unaccompanied Tours around the world.
All responses are ANONYMOUS and will be gathered and reported in
aggregate. Your answers will not be associated in any way with
your email address. You must log on through the Agency Intranet
either directly or using your token.
We encourage USAID staff to complete the survey. It will generate
valuable information to help improve support services for you.
Please take the time to answer each question as completely as
possible. The survey will remain open through July 1, 2007. Thank
you for taking the time to participate in this survey and thank you
for your service in some of our most difficult and challenging
assignments.or http://lm.a.state.gov/websurvey/index.cfm?fa=showSurvey&survey=2005
Point of Contact: Any questions concerning this Notice may be
directed to Cecilia Pitas, M/HR/FSP, (202) 712-1468.
Notice 0688
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Going to Rehoboth this summer??
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For Those Home from Abroad...
Please let us know if you would be interested in getting a discount on Rehoboth Bus tickets for this summer.
Email GLIFAA@yahoo.com - Subject line "Rehobus"
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