Kerry establishes LGBT envoy to advocate for rights overseas

The Boston Globe
Sylvan Lane
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The Department of State will announce the appointment later this month of a special envoy to advocate for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people overseas, a State Department official told the Globe on Thursday.

The move would preempt a bill sponsored by Massachusetts Senator Edward J. Markey, which called for the creation of an LGBT rights envoy. The bill died in the last session of Congress, but was reintroduced last week by Markey, with an identical version in the House of Representatives sponsored by Democratic Representative Alan S. Lowenthal of New York.

The State Department is currently vetting candidates for the position, and will announce its choice by the end of February. The appointee will be a current State Department officer who is openly gay.

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