Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will enact a new policy providing homosexual State Department employees and their partners the same benefits as married employees, according to Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies, who received an advanced memo from Clinton.
-- From "State Dept. Plan Would Extend Benefits to Same Sex Partners" By Glenn Kessler, Washington Post 5/24/09
The Bush administration had eased some [State Department] rules, opening up some training to same-sex partners, but had resisted efforts to treat homosexual partners the same as married couples. Thus a wide array of benefits were denied to same-sex partners, such as paid travel to and from overseas posts, employment opportunities at the embassy, visas and diplomatic passports, mail privileges and evacuation in case of a security emergency or medical necessity.
In the memo, Clinton said: "At bottom, the department will provide these benefits for both opposite-sex and same-sex domestic partners because it is the right thing to do."
State Department officials said the memo to the gay and lesbian organization indicates the direction Clinton hopes to go, but the final policy document is still in draft form and requires additional consultation within the department.
Earlier this year, nearly 2,200 government employees involved in foreign policy issues signed a letter to Clinton calling on the government to give equal benefits to same-sex partners.
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