The Advocate
has obtained a draft of a letter from Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton to employees of the State Department that
details her intentions to extend certain benefits to same-sex
partners of foreign service officers posted abroad.
"Historically,
domestic partners of Foreign Service members have not been
provided the same training, benefits, allowances, and
protections that other family members
receive. These inequities are unfair and
must end. Providing training, medical care
and other benefits to domestic partners promote the
cohesiveness, safety and effectiveness of our Posts abroad,"
says the letter.
The letter explains
that the department will be "exercising its inherent
authority to change its regulations in the Foreign Affairs
Manual and Department of State Standardized Regulations" in
order to allow domestic partners of foreign service personnel
to qualify as family members. "Where appropriate, this
extension of benefits and allowances will apply to the children
of domestic partners as well."
Providing these
benefits to all employees, notes the letter, will help the
department "attract and retain personnel in a competitive
environment where domestic partner benefits and allowances are
increasingly the norm for world-class
employers. 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."
The letter appears to
be the culmination of Secretary Clinton's work
with LGBT employee groups at the State Department. A
source familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition
of anonymity said the letter was drafted by senior officials at
the department and represents the Secretary's thinking
on the issue. The letter currently awaits final approval from
senior government lawyers.

The draft is consistent
with
statements made this week
by California Congressman Howard Berman that Secretary Clinton
is committed to equalizing the treatment of gay employees of
the State Department and that he anticipated an announcement on
the matter soon.
Full text of the letter is below:
DRAFT INTERNAL RELEASE

For Review

Today, I am pleased to announce that the Department of
State will be extending a number of benefits and allowances
to domestic partners of members of the Foreign Service
assigned abroad. 


While a career in the Foreign Service is rewarding, the
demands to serve our country both at home and abroad also
require great sacrifice by our Foreign Service personnel and
their families as well. Family members
often must uproot their lives, endure hardship conditions,
and put their own careers on hold. Like
all families, our Foreign Service families come in different
configurations; all are part of the common fabric of our Post
communities abroad. 


Historically, domestic partners of Foreign Service members
have not been provided the same training, benefits,
allowances, and protections that other family members
receive. These inequities are unfair and
must end. Providing training, medical care
and other benefits to domestic partners promote the
cohesiveness, safety and effectiveness of our Posts
abroad. It will also help the Department
attract and retain personnel in a competitive environment
where domestic partner benefits and allowances are
increasingly the norm for world-class
employers. 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. 

The Department will be exercising its inherent authority
to change its regulations in the Foreign Affairs Manual and
Department of State Standardized Regulations to allow the
domestic partners of Department Foreign Service personnel to
qualify as family members for a variety of benefits and
allowances. Where appropriate, this
extension of benefits and allowances will apply to the
children of domestic partners as well. To qualify for these
benefits and allowances, an employee must file an affidavit
identifying his or her domestic partner and certifying to
certain eligibility requirements that will be set forth in
the FAM.


The Department of State intends to provide the following
additional benefits and allowances for declared domestic
partners of eligible employees serving overseas:

· Diplomatic
passports,


· Inclusion
on employee travel orders to and from posts abroad,


· Shipment
of household effects,


· Inclusion
in family size calculations for the purpose of making housing
allocations,


· Family
member preference for employment at posts abroad,


· Use
of medical facilities at posts abroad,


· Medical
evacuation from posts abroad,


· Emergency
travel for the partners to visit gravely ill or injured
employees,


· Inclusion
as family members for emergency evacuation from posts
abroad,


· Subsistence
payments related to emergency evacuation from posts abroad,


· Inclusion
in calculations of payments of overseas differentials and
allowances (e.g., payment for quarters, cost of living, and
other allowances),
· Representation
expenses, and


·
Training at the Foreign Service Institute.


The Department also will work with our inter-agency
partners and host country governments to provide domestic
partners with diplomatic visas, appropriate diplomatic and
consular privileges and immunities, and authorization to work
in the local economy abroad. 


We look forward to implementing these changes.
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