John Kerry said during pride event last week that one of his goals as secretary of state is to ensure that lesbian, bisexual and transgender ambassadors represent the United States abroad.
Speaking at a GLIFAA (formerly Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies) Pride event at the State Department, Mr. Kerry said that, if confirmed, Ted Osius would be the sixth openly gay U.S. ambassador currently in service, The Weekly Standard reported Monday.
“(Osius) will be the first openly LGBT officer nominated to serve as an ambassador in Asia,” Mr. Kerry said. “I’m working hard to ensure that by the end of my tenure, we will have lesbian, bisexual and transgender ambassadors in our ranks as well.”
“The wonderful thing about this is nobody looks at these folks when they’re out there and says, ‘Wow. That’s a great LGBT diplomat.’ They look at them and say, ‘Those are great diplomats.’ And that’s exactly how we make progress in this fight,” he said.
Mr. Kerry went on to acknowledge the progress the Obama administration has made in the fight against AIDS, the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the Supreme Court striking down the Defense of Marriage Act, The Standard reported.
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