washington blade
Michael K. Lavers
Original Article: bit.ly/17r9Q5T
The State Department on Monday announced it has named Randy Berry as its special envoy to promote global LGBT rights.
Berry, who is openly gay, has been the consul general at the U.S. Consulate in Amsterdam since August 2012.
He was the consul general at the U.S. Consulate in Auckland, New Zealand, from 2009-2012 and the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Nepal from 2007-2009. Berry during his State Department career has also been posted in D.C., Bangladesh, Egypt, Uganda and South Africa.
Buzz Feed in recent weeks reported the State Department had tapped Berry for the position.
“Randy’s a leader,” said Secretary of State John Kerry in a statement to the Washington Blade. “He’s a motivator. But most importantly for this effort, he’s got vision. Wherever he’s served — from Nepal to New Zealand, from Uganda to Bangladesh, from Egypt to South Africa, and most recently as consul general in Amsterdam — Randy has excelled. He’s a voice of clarity and conviction on human rights. And I’m confident that Randy’s leadership as our new special envoy will significantly advance efforts underway to move towards a world free from violence and discrimination against LGBT persons.”
A State Department official told the Blade earlier this month the envoy would be an “openly gay Foreign Service officer.”
Full text of article available at link below: bit.ly/17r9Q5T
