| Washington, DC – Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies (GLIFAA) deeply mourns the loss of Frank Kameny, one of the preeminent leaders of the LGBT movement. Kameny died of natural causes in his home yesterday.Without his perseverance and selfless sacrifice, LGBT people would not have the rights they share today. GLIFAA and members of the LGBT foreign affairs community directly benefited from his many years of pushing others to accept gay rights as human rights.”His legacy is our legacy as we continue to fight for LGBT rights for government employees in foreign affairs agencies,” said GLIFAA President TJ Lunardi, “His leadership over the past 50 years inspires GLIFAA to continue the fight for equality.” Noted former GLIFAA President Bob Gilchrist, “We are all standing on his shoulders; he stood up in an era when no one else did.” His slogan “Gay is Good” will continue to live on as we struggle for equal rights at home and abroad. From Metro Weekly’s 2006 Interview with Mr. Kameny MW: Why weren’t you intimidated [by the process to appeal being fired from the government]? KAMENY: Because I’m right and they’re wrong — that’s been my underlying premise my whole life. Over the years and the issues I’ve taken on, I have not sought to adjust myself to society. I have adjusted society to me and society is much better off for the adjustments I’ve administered. Read more about Frank Kameny in The Washington Blade and The Washington Post from today. |
| GLIFAA, officially recognized by the U.S. State Department, represents lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) personnel and their families in the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Foreign Commercial Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, and other foreign affairs agencies and offices in the U.S. Government. Founded in 1992 by fewer than a dozen employees who faced official harassment simply because of their sexual orientation, GLIFAA continues to seek equality and fairness for LGBT employees and their families. |
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