Gay U.S. Diplomats to Get Equal Benefits

News Max ^ | May 20, 2009 | Staff

[IbJensen]

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has promised to provide equal benefits to partners of homosexual U.S. diplomats stationed overseas, a congressman said Wednesday.

Rep. Howard Berman, head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, had sought to require the State Department to offer benefits such as medical care, transport between postings and security training to partners regardless of sexual orientation.

[IbJensen]

How generous of Hillary to spend more money the US doesn't have to take care of perverts who shouldn't be in the diplomatic corps in the first place!

How many queers do we have representing America's 'values' abroad?

[Izzy Dunne]

Post them to Saudi Arabia.

[autumnraine]

Glad she has such a huge budget to take care of this for her employees. /s

[don-o]

This is rich. Right now, my company (multinational Fortune 250) is underway with a program to force me to document that my dependents are legally mine - birth and marriage certificates, tax returns; I dunno there may be DNA testing in the fine print.

But these folks just have to say they are doing the “tube steak boogie” with each other and they are good to go?

Wow!

[FES0844]

You read my mind!!

[AmericanInTokyo]

Or the Swat Valley of Pakistan. (just kidding).....

[Joe Boucher]

Exactly.
Send some flaming fag who is flamboyant and who is an especially proud Christian to boot.

[IbJensen]

This is just another pat on the back for practicing perversion while ‘serving’ in the diplomatic corps.

[IbJensen]

She is, after all, the Secretary of Steak.

Just look how her corpulence has mushroomed since taking her important office.

This is truly what Americans deserve: having Hillary desecrate this office.

[PubliusMM]

Absolutely ridiculous. But, then, it IS Hillary...

[knarf]

Queers don't have broads.

Unless you want to include what's'ername ... Uma? Hillary's squeeze.

[IbJensen]

Hillary loves to kiss hair-legged, shaggy-armpitted wives of Arabs.

One can only wonder if her live-in lesbo pal shaves.

[Hulka]

My thought exactly.

We shall see just how “multicultural” we are. . .you know, no culture is better than another, that we have no right to impose our standards on another culture. . .this is a situation where two liberal religious dogma clash-—multiculturalism and homosexuality.

“What, you mean I can't be posted to Saudi? Because I am a homo?! That's discrimination! I will sue!”

or

“You can't post me to Saudi, I am a homo and they will kill me and my sweetie! I will sue!”

[New Perspective]

This is rich. Right now, my company (multinational Fortune 250) is underway with a program to force me to document that my dependents are legally mine - birth and marriage certificates, tax returns; I dunno there may be DNA testing in the fine print. But these folks just have to say they are doing the “tube steak boogie” with each other and they are good to go? Wow!

I agree. This is the new america.

[onedoug]

Is that Rudy Guliani on the left? He’s done himself up similarly before.

[Non-Sequitur]

I think that would require a change in the law to accomplish. Clinton is promising something she can’t necessarily deliver.

[mikey_hates_everything]

Things like this create new terrorists that want to destroy us, not waterboarding.

[Jumper]

State has been accommodating partners for quite sometime. One of the problems Administrative Officers face is when the State employee changes partners... The question then becomes one of whether the current partner is entitled to transportation, housing, employement, etc. What constitutes a long term relationship and would marriage be accepted a valid document between two men or two women issued by a State that recognizes such unions.

The Department will have to issue a Foreign Affairs Manual revision and a Foreign Affairs Regualtion giving broad guidance to Administrative Officers and Human Resources on making determinations for this legal benefit. I for one wonder if and when a relationship not legally binding becomes situationally deserving of what are now considered benefits for spouses and legal dependents.

The real kicker here is whether a partner is entitled to traditionally legally dividable benefits once a breakup occurs, e.g., would a partner be entitled to demand 50% of retirment? The longterm legal implementations of "giving" consideration open legal doors to entitlements. And if so, is this enforceable upon the individual or by the Governement; State is government at the end of the day just like any other type of employment - it is those who pay the taxes that ultimately OWE entitlements.

Can the Secretary of State legally obligate the US Government for unfunded expenditures? Now that is a question for the Congress!

[erman]

How many queers do we have representing America's 'values' abroad?

Well, starting at the top... at least one.

[longtermmemmory]

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.