Tag Archives: State/DRL

Open Society’s Sarah Margon to be Asst Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (State/DRL)

April 26, 2021 By in assistant secretaries, Functional Bureaus, Nominations, Officially In, Political Appointees, State Department, Top Ranks Tags: , , ,
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On April 23, 2021 President Biden announced his intent to nominate Sarah Margon to be Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.  The WH released the following brief bio:
Sarah Margon, Nominee for Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Department of State
Sarah Margon currently serves as the U.S. Foreign Policy Director at the Open Society Foundations. Previously, she served as Washington Director and, before that, Deputy Washington Director for Human Rights Watch. Margon also was Associate Director for Sustainable Security and Peacebuilding at the Center for American Progress and Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to Senator Russ Feingold and Staff Director for the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs. Earlier in her career she was Humanitarian and Conflict Policy advisor for Oxfam America. Margon holds an M.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a B.A. in American Studies from Wesleyan University.
According to history.state.gov, on Apr 21, 1975, in response to growing Congressional interest in human rights issues in foreign policy, the Department of State established the position of Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs.  The International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976 (Jun 30, 1976; P.L. 94-329; 90 Stat. 748) made the Coordinator a Presidential appointee, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate, and changed the title to Coordinator for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs. Career diplomat James Morrison Wilson Jr. served as the first Coordinator from 1976–1977.  Section 162 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995 (P.L. 103-236; 108 Stat. 403), authorized the appointment of an Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor May 12, 1994.
If confirmed, Ms. Margon would succeed Robert A. Destro who served from 2019-2021. Previous appointees to this position include Patricia Murphy Derian (1977–1981), Elliott Abrams (1981–1985), Harold Hongju Koh (1998–2001) and Tomasz P. Malinowski (2014–2017).

So @StateDept’s guidance is do whatever you want. EXCEPT fly the Pride Flag on the pole #PrideMonth

June 12, 2019 By in Controversies, Foreign Service, Media, Mike Pompeo, Org Life, Pompeo, Realities of the FS, Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State, Social Media, State Department, Top Ranks, Trends, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

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On May 17, 2018, Secretary Pompeo just three weeks into his tenure as secretary of state issued a statement on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia.  This year, the State Department statement marking IDAHOT was noticeably missing.

We understand from a source on background that there was guidance circulated within the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) this past May saying that there will be no IDAHOT/Pride cable this year. The directive reportedly came from the 7th floor although it apparently also said, there is no change in policy, including on display of the Pride flag. “The best we can do is rely on last year’s cable and the statement that policy has not changed.”

The directive last year would have been sent by an Acting Under Secretary for Management as there was no confirmed “M” at the State Department since U/S Kennedy departed his position in January 2017.

On June 7, NBC News reported that the U.S. embassies in Israel, Germany, Brazil and Latvia have requested permission from the State Department to fly the rainbow pride flag on their flagpoles and have been denied, citing three unnamed U.S. diplomats.

On June 10, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told NBCNews that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “respects the dignity of every individual” but did not believe other flags should fly alongside the American flag at U.S. embassies.

In an interview with NBC News, VPOTUS said that the Trump administration had “put no restrictions” on the pride flag or other flags flying elsewhere at U.S. embassies. When pressed, he also said, “We both feel that way very passionately, but when it comes to the American flagpole, and American embassies, and capitals around the world, one American flag flies.”

Another official who is LGBT speaking on background told this blog that flying the Pride flag on the flag pole with the U.S. flag has always been controversial.  This same official told us that while he/she personally does not believe that they should fly the Pride flag on the flag pole, there are others who have cited the Flag Act to justify flying the pride flag:

4 U.S. Code § 7 – Position and manner of display
(f) When flags of States, cities, or localities, or pennants of societies are flown on the same halyard with the flag of the United States, the latter should always be at the peak. When the flags are flown from adjacent staffs, the flag of the United States should be hoisted first and lowered last. No such flag or pennant may be placed above the flag of the United States or to the United States flag’s right.

This same source indicated to us that his/her understanding was that the Under Secretary for Management Brian Bulatao has not approved flying the Pride Flag on the same staff as the U.S. flag at State Department federal buildings within the United States and overseas (Mr. Bulatao was officially sworn into office in late May). We were told that this process is usually done via a decision memo and that this year, there was no cable in or out;  which confirmed the circulated guidance reportedly from DRL in May. This official also told us that his/her understanding is that posts are free to display the pride flag everywhere and anywhere, or to light up embassies in the pride colors, or do anything else they want to mark Pride month.  EXCEPT fly the Pride Flag on the pole.

We should note that in previous years, some posts, not all, have marked Pride Month with a rainbow flag on the flagpole or hanging the rainbow flag on the side of the embassy building. Others participated in local pride parades, or lighting up the embassy in rainbow colors. Social media indicates that our overseas posts are marking Pride month in a similar manner (poles excepted) this year, but they have not/not been prevented from marking or celebrating the event (if post is preventing you from marking Pride Month, holler, please).

Also typically, on June 1st or within the first week of June, the Secretary of State also releases a statement marking LGBTI Pride Month. Pompeo did that last year on June 1st.  The year before that, his predecessor Rex Tillerson released a similar statement on June 7, 2018. This year, we’re still waiting for a similar statement from Secretary Pompeo; 18 days to go before the days of June runs out. Write faster, folks!

Here is the official spox addressing the “except on the pole” issue:

Related posts:

 

VPOTUS Swears-in Sam Brownback as Ambassador-at-Large, Also Kansas Refuses to Fast

February 2, 2018 By in Ambassadors, Foreign Affairs, Functional Bureaus, Political Appointees, State Department Tags: , , , , , ,

Posted: 3:03 am ET

 

AND NOW THIS — the comments though are extraordinarily … um blunt. We have no particular favorite but  ‘irony committed suicide in the Potomac” is memorable.

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Related posts:

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Welcome Reception for Randy Berry, Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBT Persons

February 27, 2015 By in Appointments, Foreign Policy, Foreign Service, FSOs, Functional Bureaus, John F. Kerry, Secretary of State, Special Envoys and Reps, State Department Tags: , , , 1 Comment

Posted: 18:05 EST
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On February 23, 2015, the State Department  announced the appointment of FSO Randy Berry as the first-ever Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBT Persons. Today, Secretary Kerry hosted a welcome reception at the State Department to commemorate the announcement. Click on the image below to view the video of the welcome remarks by Secretary Kerry, Assistant Secretary Tom Malinowski of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (State/DRL) and Special Envoy Randy Berry:

Screen Shot 2015-02-27

Randy Berry, LGBT Special Envoy at Welcome Reception on February 27, 2015 (click image to view video)

I am well aware how lucky I am to be standing here before you today with such amazing and comprehensive support networks, not only professionally but also personally. I’m joined here today not only by my sisters, Rita and Rhonda from Colorado, but also by my husband and my fellow global traveler, Pravesh Singh. Pravesh left his native South Africa nearly a decade ago not only to join me, but I think he really didn’t realize he was also joining a larger family, and that is the Foreign Service, a family bound together in service to the United States. He’s as much a member of the United States Foreign Service as I am, and I am very pleased to say that post-DOMA, when we move here from Amsterdam in early April, he will move home as an American citizen. (Applause.)

Pravesh and I do not share a common culture, nor do we share a common religion, nor do we share a common race. As much as it pains me to say this, we don’t even share a common decade – (laughter) – really. What we do share, however, is love, and that love has built a good and happy life and a family that now includes our exceptional – (laughter) – our exceptional young children who are normally so well behaved – (laughter) – Arya and Xander. Yet as I say that, I think all of us in this room recognize just how unbelievably fortunate we are, for in far too many places around the world not only is this type of story impossible, but additionally, great and terrible injustices are visited on people like us.

This love still stands ground for imprisonment, harassment, torture, and far worse in too many places around the world. That is a violation of human rights. It is a violation of human rights by the standards set forth by many of our allies and partners around the world, and it is a violation of human rights by the standard of the universal declaration. We can and we must do better. Lives, futures, hopes and dreams depend on that, and that is why we’re here today. That’s also why this type of role is needed.

Read the full remarks here.

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Confirmations: Childress, Malinowski, Birx, Whitaker, Tueller, Westphal

April 8, 2014 By in Ambassadors, Confirmations, Congress, Staffing the FS, State Department, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

– Domani Spero

 

The confirmations for presidential nominees are now moving as fast as a turtle’s pace.  Below is a round-up of the latest confirmations from the U.S. Senate this past week:

April 7, 2014

Mark Bradley Childress, of Virginia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the United Republic of Tanzania.

April 02, 2014

  • Tomasz P. Malinowski, of the District of Columbia, to be Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
  • Deborah L. Birx, of Maryland, to be Ambassador at Large and Coordinator of United  States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS

April 01, 2014

Kevin Whitaker, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Colombia.

March 27, 2014

Matthew H. Tueller, of Utah, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class  of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the  United States of America to the Republic of Yemen.

March 26, 2014

Joseph William Westphal, of New York, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Screen Shot 2014-03-29

The newly arrived U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dr. Joseph Westphal introduces President Obama, March 29, 2014 at the US Embassy. Behind Ambasador Westphal is Deputy Chief of Mission Timothy Lenderking (with red tie). Photo via US Embassy Riyadh/FB

 

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