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Dear ,
Board members will meet soon with several senior officials at State to discuss implementation of the partnership measures. Please send asap to GLIFAA@yahoo.com any suggestions you have for these meetings and we also hope you participate in Oct 24th's Tele-retreat. Among other issues, we will ask when the Department plans to release details on the issuing A and G diplomatic visas to partners of foreign diplomatic personnel, which will better enable our missions to approach other governments for same-sex partner visas.
Of note - although GLIFAA advocates primarily for LGBT personnel and families, it remains our policy that benefits should also be extended to opposite sex domestic partners. We have and will continue to raise this with leadership. Our straight colleagues with partners have been important and valued allies. Of particularly good news, Out and Equal Workplace Advocates recognized GLIFAA as the Employee Resource Group of the Year at the annual Out and Equal Workplace Summit in Orlando, Florida. Secretary of State Clinton recorded a videotaped congratulatory message viewable through facebook. Congratulations go to all who have worked with GLIFAA over its 17 year history. GLIFAA Medial Insurance Survey:
If you have purchased health care for your same-sex or opposite-sex
unmarried partner, please help us help you by filling out this brief
survey! On October 3, over 25 members participated in our annual retreat to chart our priorities for the coming year. Participants reiterated that GLIFAA is as important as a network and a community as it is an advocacy organization. Overseas members should participate in our "Tele-Retreat" on October 24!
On October 11, at least 30 members marched behind the GLIFAA banner at the National Equality March - another historic event of which GLIFAA was proud to be a part. I hope to see many of you in Washington at our Tuesday evening happy hour with the World Bank GLOBE! All the best, Bob Gilchrist GLIFAA President
P.S. We were all pleased with President Obama's October 10 speech in which he committed to ending "Don't ask, don't tell" and passing key legislation, including the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act (DPBO). Our new "GLIFAA Friends" network will be a conduit for providing further information on pending legislation and on actions we can take as private citizens. I encourage you to sign up for GLIFAA Friends if you haven't already.
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TODAY! Brown Bag with GLIFAA @ FSI
Join Russell Brown and David Tessler in the FSI Cafe to chat about GLIFAA issues and enjoy lunch together.
Location: Foreign Service Institute
Cafeteria (look for GLIFAA signs)
Tuesday, October 13
11:45am-12:30pm
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TODAY! Eric Alva - First U.S. Soldier Wounded in Iraq Speaks at USAID
The USAID Executive Diversity Council invites all to attend its Building Bridges Speaker Series event "Eric Alva -- Overcoming Obstacles."
Mr. Alva was the first U.S. Serviceperson wounded in the Iraq war. He will address issues of I mportance to the LGBT, Hispanic, disability, and veteran communities as a member of all four. The date of Mr. Alva's visit coincides with National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and LGBT History Month.
A powerful inspirational speaker, Eric Alva will discuss his battle to overcome his injuries and the difficulties he encountered after leaving military life. From learning to walk with a prosthetic, to his desire to continue his education and get his degree, Alva proves that it is important to never give up. He emphasizes that by doing the right thing, from studying hard and working hard and everything in between, obstacles can be conquered.
This event is co-sponsored by GLIFAA (Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies), HECFAA (Hispanic Employees Council of Foreign Affairs Agencies), and EWD (Employees with Disabilities), and is part of the Executive Diversity Council's Building Bridges Program which is designed to bring affinity groups together with the purpose of increasing diversity and inclusiveness at USAID.
Location: USAID Conference Room M-18
Ronald Reagan Building
Metro: Federal Triangle (Blue/Orange Line)
Tuesday, October 13
3:00pm-4:00pm
Photo ID will be needed to enter the building - All are welcome.
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 TONIGHT!: GLIFAA Monthly Happy Hour @ Nellies
Location: Nellie's Sports Bar
900 U Street NW
Metro: U Street (Green/Yellow Line)
Tuesday, October 13
6:00pm-8:00pm
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GLIFAA Monthly Meeting! Join GLIFAA at our regularly scheduled monthly meeting to meet new members, plan the latest initiatives, including this year's Holiday Party, and follow up on actions from the retreat.
Location: Home of Daniel Ross
2025 13th Street NW
Apt 2
Metro: U Street Metro (Green/Yellow Line)
Thursday, October 22
6:30pm - 8:30pm
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GLIFAA Tele-Retreat October 24th!
Join GLIFAA as we get input from our members abroad!
What have we gained in the last year? What are the challenges we still face at post? How can we build on our success? What do you need the GLIFAA board to work on? What can people worldwide volunteer to do? I hope that together we can address all these questions.
This is GLIFAA's first-ever worldwide conference call, so please do bear with us if there are technical glitches. And please remember to mute yourself (press *6) when you aren't speaking - this will cut down background noise
World-wide via Telephone (to US)
1-219-509-8222
Participant Access Code: 203179
Saturday, October 24
9:00am Eastern Daylight Time
8:00 in Mexico City, 11:00 in Rio de Janiero,
15:00 in Berlin, 17:30 in Kabul, 22:00 in Seoul, and midnight in Sydney |
If you have purchased health insurance for your same-sex partner or
opposite-sex unmarried partner, or if you and/or your partner are
transgender, please help us help you by filling out this brief survey.
Your participation will help us create an inventory of available
medical insurance plans (along with costs, range of coverage, etc.).
You may contact Anthony Cotton with comments or questions. Thank you! |
GLIFAA Wins Employee Recource Group of the Year Award from Out and Equal, Attends Conference
GLIFAA became first federal entity to receive an award from Out & Equal. At the Awards Ceremony, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton applauded GLIFAA in a two minute videotaped message, viewable through Facebook. GLIFAA Policy Director Ajit Joshi accepted the award at the Summit on October 8th.
The 2009 Out and Equal Annual Workplace Summit occured October 5 - 9. Twelve employees from the foreign affairs agencies attended, including eight from USAID (five from the Management Bureau, two from the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA), and one from Global Health), two from State (including an FSO and two others based in Charleston), and one from the Foreign Agricultural Service. The group of 12 was diverse by gender, sexual orientation, race, national origin, and age.
At the Out & Equal Annual Workplace Summit, GLIFAA not only received an award, but also participated in two featured panels. Chadwick Mills spoke about What it Takes to be the Employee Resource Group of the Year and Ajit Joshi contributed to a discussion on the Best Practices in the Federal Sector. Chadwick spoke about GLIFAA's strides over this past year that resulted in the award and he presented a powerpoint with voice-over documenting GLIFAA's achievements for this award. Ajit Joshi discussed GLIFAA's 17 year history, its reach as a global employee resource group, the our ability to build bridges with other minority groups and work with non-LGBT people. We hope to post the powerpoint soon to the GLIFAA website. Contact Chadwick and Ajit for further information about their panels. |
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GLIFAA Particpates in the National Equality March
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DC Community Events Review - September 2009
by GLIFAA member Anthony Cotton
Breaking Down a Stonewall: 40 Years of LGBT Jewish Activism
On Thursday, September 10th, Gay & Lesbian Outreach and Engagement (GLOE) hosted "Breaking Down a Stonewall: 40 Years of LGBT Jewish Activism," a discussion moderated by WinnieStachelberg, the former Vice President of the HRC. Held at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, the panel featured Dr. Dana Beyer, Dr. Frank Kameny, Anne Kronenberg, and Robert Raben. The evening began with Kameny outlining the inspiring story of his life as an LGBT activist - from petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court for being fired from the Federal government on the basis of his sexual orientation in 1957 to finally receiving a formal apology from the Office of Personnel Management in 2009. Kronenberg, best known as Harvey Milk's 1977 campaign manager, then spoke passionately about the need for all LGBT people to continue to challenge themselves to be more open about their sexual orientation in all circumstances; only by doing this, she said, will LGBT people be able to 'put a face' on the movement for equality. Beyer, the Vice President for Equality Maryland, explained to the audience of 100 that she, as a Jewish transgender woman, has found power and strength in her status as a minority; she posited that the tension created from never feeling completely at ease in society can become a source of unity and motivation. Raben, who served as Counsel for Congressman Barney Frank, encouraged young LGBT people to study the history of minority groups in the U.S., noting that Catholic, Jewish and Irish people were all once considered outside of the mainstream. After these initial remarks, audience members asked a variety of questions. Below is a selection of the panel's key responses:
"When facing someone who rejects you for being LGBT, engage with that person. Try to respond to the substance underlying the rejection, not the rejection itself." - Robert Raben
"LGBT people must form coalitions with other minority groups. One of the best ways to do this is to be allies for others. By supporting others, LGBT people can instill in others a sense of obligation to support LGBT people." - Dr. Dana Beyer
"The government fired me 52 years ago for being gay. This year they apologized. That's nice, but I'd love 52 years of pay!" - Frank Kameny
"The way to get straight people to care about LGBT equality is to demonstrate to them that everyone, not just LGBT people, will be better off if everyone's rights and dignity are preserved." - Anne Kronenberg
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Homophobia in the African-American Community
On Tuesday, September 15th, Metropolitan Network Against Homophobia (MNAH) hosted "Homophobia in the African-American Community," a discussion moderated by MNAH President Sampson McCormick. Held at the Charles Sumner School, the panel featured Carlene Cheatam of the D.C. Coalition of Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Men & Women; Monet Dupree, office manager for Transgender Health Empowerment; Clarence Fluker of the Mayor's Office of LGBT Affairs; Reverend Dyan Abena McCray, pastor of Unity Fellowship Church; Michael Sainte-Andress, a local actor and longtime D.C. gay and AIDS activist; and Brian Watson program director for the Wanda Alston House. Among the 50 audience members were both leading candidates in the 2010 election for the at-large seat on the D.C. Council, incumbent Phil Mendelson and challenger Clark Ray. The evening's spirited conversation explored the following topics: HIV/AIDS in the black community, overcoming internalized homophobia and transphobia, youth mentorship, and mixed messages from religious institutions. Audience members and panelists exchanged freely throughout the three-hour event. Below is a list of memorable quotes:
"Don't ever stop being who you are because you think it will make people uncomfortable. The people who matter don't mind, and the people who mind don't matter. Walk into every room like your own it." - Michael Sainte-Andress
"The majority of the homophobia I used to feel was an internalized homophobia that allowed me to hurt myself, to make me believe that I was less than others. I have gotten to the point where I don't allow those feelings to penetrate anymore." - Carlene Cheatam
"The untold story is that homophobia exists even here in this room filled with LGBT people. To strengthen our community, we must spend time getting to know one another and learn how we can support one another." - Reverend Dyan Abena McCray
"Anything that you didn't have on when you were born is drag." - Monet Dupree
"As a community, we're very good at criticizing people and institutions that don't support us, but we're not as good at expressing appreciation for those that support us. We have to thank, not just spank." - Clarence Fluker
"HIV/AIDS is on the rise because of homophobia." - Brian Watson
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GLIFAA State Reps -- 72 And Counting!
Our Post Rep network continues to grow - won't you be a part of it? If you are at a post with no rep, won't you volunteer to be our point of contact? Our goal is a GLIFAA member (or straight ally) at every post. Having problems with the new regs that the GLIFAA board should know about? Reach out to us directly, or through your post rep! It's your rep's job to serve as a conduit for information between post and the board. New at post? Introduce yourself to your post rep and meet others!
If you need to ask questions about bidding a certain post, feel free to reach out directly to a post rep. Email them on the GAL, or if you can't find them, email us at glifaa@yahoo.com and we'll put you in touch. We try to keep the list updated, but if you see errors, please do email us at glifaa@yahoo.com. Thanks!
Tanya Salseth -- Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
Jeffrey Cochrane -- Accra, Ghana
Steve Majors -- Almaty, Kazakhstan
Melanie Rubenstein -- Antananarivo, Madagascar
Karl Olson -- Baghdad, Iraq
Selim Ariturk -- Baku, Azerbaijan
Fred Noyes -- Bamako, Mali
Clifton Cortez -- Bangkok, Thailand
Michael L. Bak -- Bangkok, Thailand
Chris Robinson -- Belgrade, Serbia
David Maurice Jones -- Belmopan, Belize
Kim Yaged -- Berlin, Germany
Dexter Payne -- Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Aaron Jensen -- Brussels, Belgium
Jan Krc -- Budapest, Hungary
Susan Shirley -- Cairo, Egypt
John Natter -- Caracas, Venezuela
Bryan W. Dalton -- Chennai, India
Darren Bologna -- Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
Kenneth Kero-Mentz -- Colombo, Sri Lanka
David L. Fierstine -- Frankfurt, Germany
Matthew Paschke -- Frankfurt, Germany
Nathan Hara -- Guadalajara, Mexico
Taiyon J Coleman -- Guadalajara, Mexico
Sandrine Goffard -- Guangzhou, China
Andrew Herrup -- Hanoi, Vietnam
John C. Kastning -- Hanoi, Vietnam
Angela R Dickey -- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Steven Giegerich -- Hong Kong, China
Luke Zahner -- Jerusalem, Israel
Stephen Stark -- Johanneburg, South Africa
Dick Custin -- Kabul, Afghanistan
Mark Weinberg -- Kathmandu, Nepal
Chuck Lisenbee -- Khartoum, Sudan
Thomas W. Santos -- Kyiv, Ukraine
Genevieve Shapiro -- Lima, Peru
Eugene Sweeney -- Lisbon, Portugal
Mark A. Friedbauer -- Lusaka, Zambia
Sara A. Calvert -- Managua, Nicaragua
Michael Pignatello -- Manila, Philippines
K. Scott Cecil -- Mexico City, Mexico
Erin Krasik -- Moscow, Russia
Rachel Crawford -- Mumbai, India
Nicholas Cox -- Nairobi, Kenya
Aaron Schubert -- New Delhi, India
Steven Kerchoff -- New Delhi, India
Jason Chue -- Nicosia, Cyprus
Tim Markley -- Nicosia, Cyprus
Erik Anderson -- Parmaribo, Suriname
Matthew Britton -- Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Raymond H Murphy, II -- Pretoria, South Africa
John "Jeff" Daigle -- PRT Babil, Iraq
Linda Hartsock -- Quito, Ecuador
J. Ethan Tidwell -- Rangoon, Burma
Timothy Eydelnant -- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Christopher Baumgarten -- San Salvador, El Salvador
Christopher Hii -- Sao Paulo, Brazil
Robert Heater -- Seoul, Korea
Mary Avery -- Singapore
Sarah Hutchison -- Sofia, Bulgaria
Carl Watson -- St. Petersburg, Russia
Patrick McNeil -- Tallinn, Estonia
Patrick R. Wingate -- Tbilisi, Georgia
Elisa Beth Greene -- Tel Aviv, Israel
Nik Granger -- The Hague, Netherlands
Melissa Schraibman -- Tirana, Albania
Alexander K. Hardin -- Tokyo, Japan
Jason N. Lawrence -- Tokyo, Japan
Isabel Rioja-Scott -- Tunis, Tunisia
James Holtsnider -- Tunis, Tunisia
Jason Davis -- Valletta, Malta
Bill Salisbury -- Warsaw, Poland
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We Need LGBT and Straight Colleagues Alike to Make Full Equality a Reality
We've already seen how powerful a gay-straight alliance in our workplace can be. When Secretary Clinton took office, we presented her a letter from 2,200 current and former staff asking that we "be treated equally and with the same respect." The secretary listened - and she led! State soon became the first department to offer partner benefits. USAID has said they will follow State's lead, as have other departments and agencies. Still - much work remains. For example, employees still cannot put their partners on FEHB health insurance, nor can they sponsor their partners for citizenship. GLIFAA's friends have already made a difference. Sign up for our email alerts at www.glifaa.org/friends to show your continued support, and we'll give you ideas of how you can show support and have an impact.
Participants may register online here.
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