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USAID Minorities in Development Facebook Page
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Dear ,
You can now pay your dues online and its that time of year to pay your 2011 Dues! Help us continue to provide community-building events, engage with senior DOS leadership, and build a strong LGBT network within the foreign affairs community.
If you are attending this year's Out and Equal Summit, please email us at let us know! GLIFAA@glifaa.org
See you soon,
-The GLIFAA Board |
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Current News from President Jon Tollefson
Greetings ,
Happy fall to everyone around the world! Whether your weather is changing from hot to cold or cold to hot, I hope you all are well.
We have been consumed of late with issues relating to human resource policy. One issue concerns whether and how employees can serve in countries that will not offer our EFM partners formal diplomatic accreditation. We are working with Human Resources, the Legal Advisor, and Diplomatic Security to ensure that the entire world remains open to us. They have been responsive, and we look forward to working with them as the Department develops its policy. On another note, if you have a foreign-born partner and are thinking of bidding on Washington this cycle, please email us at glifaa@glifaa.org.
Selim Ariturk and Karl Miller organized a great advocacy day on Capitol Hill last week with the help of the Human Rights Campaign. We met with Congressional staff from a number of districts to support the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act (DPBO), which could be folded into an omnibus appropriations bill after the elections. We pressed each office to make DPBO a priority in the post-election period and not allow it to be dropped. This bill would extend health, retirement, and other benefits to same-sex domestic partners of federal employees. A highlight of the advocacy day was the participation of Pastor and Mrs. Dalton, the parents of former GLIFAA president, Bryan Dalton. They were forceful advocates and provided a valuable perspective!
We are looking to expand our engagement with the Department and USAID in Washington and with missions abroad. Whether it is incorporating LGBT issues into advocacy and programming or holding internal social and training events for staff, GLIFAA can play a role. If you would like to see GLIFAA more involved in your Bureau or post or would like to be a part of this effort yourself, please contact us and share your ideas. We also hope you will consider serving as a post representative; if so, please email glifaa@glifaa.org.
As always, please reach out to me with any comments, questions, or suggestions at tollefson@glifaa.org. This past month, folks have written in about the GLIFAA facebook group, work permits in Germany, ideas for the website, and blogging, just to name a few. We look forward to your ideas and energy.
All the best, Jon Tollefson President Gays & Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies |
 TODAY! October State Lunch
Location: Main State
Cafeteria Look for GLIFAA signs
Wednesday, October 6
12:00pm-1:00pm
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Next Tuesday - October Monthly Happy Hour Join GLIFAA at our regularly scheduled monthly happy hour!
Location: Nellie's Sports Bar
900 U Street NW
Metro: U Street (Green/Yellow Line)
Tuesday, October 12th
6:00pm-8:00pm
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Federal Globe Happy Hour @ Cobalt
We hope you will join us for this month's Federal GLOBE "First Thursday" Networking Event on Thursday, October 7th, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Cobalt. This event offers a great opportunity to network and socialize with other LGBT Federal employees. Please help us spread the word; tell your colleagues and bring a friend.
Cobalt is conveniently located in Washington DC's Dupont Circle neighborhood at the corner of 17th and R Streets, NW.
Hope to see you there!
Michael Benardo
Board Member
Federal GLOBE (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Employees of the Federal Government)
Location: Cobalt
17th & R Street NW
Metro: Dupont
Thursday, October 7th
6:00pm-8:00pm
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Out and Equal Summit
The 2010 Out & Equal Workplace Summit has been approved as official
training by the United States Office of Personnel Management. In
compliance with 5 U.S.C. Chapter 41, this training is appropriate for
all Federal employees. View Human Resources Director John Berry's official announcement.
The 2010 Workplace Summit is just around the corner. Be a part of LGBT workplace equality by attending.
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State Notice on LWOP for Family Support
SUBJECT: USE OF LEAVE WITHOUT PAY FOR PURPOSES OF FAMILY
SUPPORT
1. To implement a directive from President Obama that
expands a family-friendly initiative of President
Clinton, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has
instructed Federal agencies to permit employees to use
up to 24 hours of leave without pay (LWOP) in a leave
year to provide family support for the children or
elderly relatives of their same-sex domestic partners.
2. This new directive does not require any change to
existing Department of State policies, which already
permit employees to request LWOP for such purposes.
Currently, LWOP may be granted to employees "for any
reasonable purpose" (3 FAM 3516.1) and extended LWOP may
be approved for "fulfillment of parental or family
responsibilities" (3 FAH-1 H-3513). The provision of
family support for the children or elderly relatives of
an employee's same-sex domestic partner falls within
these existing bases for granting LWOP.
The OPM guidance on the Presidential directive specifies
that employees may request LWOP for the following
reasons:
(1) School and Early Childhood Educational Activities.
Employees may request LWOP to participate in school
activities directly related to the educational
advancement of a child, including children of an
employee's same-sex domestic partner. This includes
parent-teacher conferences or meetings with child-care
providers, interviewing for a new school or childcare
facility, or participating in volunteer activities
supporting the child's educational advancement.
"School" refers to an elementary school, secondary
school, Head Start program, or a childcare facility.
(2) Routine Family Medical Purposes. Employees may
request LWOP to accompany a child, including the
children of their same-sex domestic partners, to routine
medical or dental appointments, such as annual checkups
or vaccinations.
(3) Elderly Relatives' Health or Care Needs. Employees
may request LWOP to accompany an elderly relative,
including the elderly relative of their same-sex
domestic partner, to routine medical or dental
appointments or other professional services related to
the care of the elderly relative, such as making
arrangements for housing, meals, phones, banking
services, and similar activities.
3. Employees should keep in mind that although they may
request up to 24 hours of LWOP for purposes of family
support, supervisors may disapprove such requests. It
is the responsibility of supervisors to balance support
for employees' needs for time away from the workplace
with the need to ensure that work requirements are
fulfilled. Employees, of course, may continue to
request accrued annual leave or compensatory time off
for such family activities should they so choose.
To review the OPM guidance, see the September 10, 2010
memorandum from OPM Director John Berry: Extension of
24-Hour LWOP Family Support Policy to Same-Sex Domestic
Partners of Federal Employees. OPM also has provided a
list of frequently asked questions: FAQ:LWOP for Family
Support. Please feel to direct any follow-up questions
to mailto:HRLeave@state.gov.
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Donate! - LGBT Foreign Affairs Scholarship
The LGBT Foreign Affairs Scholarship Board will award one $2,500 scholarship to a disadvantaged student who plans to intern in a foreign affairs-related field. The LGBT Foreign Affairs Scholarship serves as need and merit-based financial aid for students pursuing degrees and/or careers in foreign affairs.
The fund helps reduce the personal costs for students in high cost housing areas such as Washington, DC or in other world capitols or cities. The Scholarship partners with GLIFAA to foster knowledge of international issues and careers for disadvantaged youth.
The scholarship committee will award the scholarship based on the following criteria:
Demonstrated financial need
Demonstrated strong interest in working in foreign affairs
A committed LGBT advocate
Attainment sophomore status or higher
Contact Ashton Giese to find out more about the organization. Email lgbtscholarship@glifaa.org.
GLIFAA
P.O. Box 18774
Washington, DC 20036-8774
Memo: "Scholarship"
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