Washington Whispers

Hillary Clinton Eyes Gay Rights at State Dept.

By Paul Bedard

June 7, 2009 RSS Feed Print

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

Gay and lesbian diplomats and Foreign Service officers are anxiously awaiting sweeping policy reforms that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is reviewing. The two goals: making it easier for same-sex couples to travel to new posts with full bennies and letting a foreign partner met abroad come to the United States as a husband or wife would after a traditional overseas marriage. The changes might implement new laws moving through Congress. It's a big issue for some who complain that it's too expensive for their partners to schlep around the world without the same kind of travel and health benefits married couples have. Also, without rights like married couples', it's difficult for an FSO who partners with a foreigner to bring that person home for very long.

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Tags:
State Department,
Hillary Clinton,
gay rights

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+1

soundtracks of AL 6:27AM July 17, 2009

How about "merriage" for those not allowed "marriage"?

Marie is ready to offer "all rights, but not marriage, that is one man and one women

only", but she doesn't understand that the only thing the "law" is, is words -- words that matter. The word "marriage" appears innumerable times in the written law and common-law precedent. It would take decades if not longer to litigate the meaning of "domestic partnerships" of CA and "civil unions" of NJ to harmonized them with the goal of marriage equality. Would you want to risk your rights [and sanity] to unpredictable and protracted litigation in all 50 states before you could be secure in your legal status?

The alternative is to get government out of "marriage" altogether, but wait until traditionalists cry that they're the target of the govt's religious persecution in denying them "marriage".

Merry Men & Merry Women in all but 6 states - claim MERRIAGE! They can't take that away from you!

Marco Luxe of CA 4:07PM June 08, 2009

So what about foreign workers with opposite-sex partners that do not wish to marry? Would the same door be opened to them?

mike of TX 3:00PM June 08, 2009

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