History of LGBT Americans in Diplomacy
Prior to the early 1990s, homosexuality was grounds for exclusion from the U.S. Foreign Service (diplomatic corps) and many positions in the Civil Service. Numerous individuals were dismissed from their positions in the State Department and in the U.S. government because of their sexual orientation. This happened particularly in the 1950s and 60's, during what has been called the "Lavender Scare" against sexual minorities in the U.S. government, linked to the McCarthy-inspired campaign against perceived communist sympathizers.
The first publicly gay U.S. ambassador was Ambassador to Luxembourg James Hormel, who was appointed by President Clinton and sworn in by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in 1999. Hormel was admitted into his position through a recess appointment, without confirmation of the U.S. Senate. The second publicly gay U.S. ambassador, and the first publicly gay Foreign Service officer to be appointed as ambassador, was U.S. Ambassador to Romania Michael Guest, who was appointed by President George W. Bush and in 2001 sworn in by Secretary of State Colin Powell. Bush also appointed publicly gay physician Mark R. Dybul as the United States Global AIDS Coordinator, with the rank of ambassador. In December 2009, Vice President Joseph Biden swore in publicly gay lawyer David Huebner, as U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and the Independent State of Samoa.
Read more about this topic: Gays And Lesbians In Foreign Affairs Agencies
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