Tag: Randy Berry

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Obama’s LGBT Envoy Randy Berry To Continue With Trump Administration

Randy Berry

ForeignPolicy.com reports that President Obama’s Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons at the State Department, Randy Berry, will continue in that position for the Trump administration.

The special envoy position was created during the Obama years to fight back against the discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people around the globe. The job’s focus has been to promote the human rights and dignity of LGBT individuals worldwide.

Berry, an openly gay career Foreign Service officer became the first person to hold the position in February 2015.

LGBT advocacy groups expressed cautious support for the move.

Ross Murray, the director of programs at GLAAD, told Foreign Policy, “This is really surprising to me. I don’t think I can applaud it until I see what his mandate becomes in this administration. But, Berry has been really effective in that job.”

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U.S. State Department Names Randy Berry Special Envoy For Global LGBT Rights

Having served as the consul general for the U.S. Consulates in Auckland and Amsterdam, openly gay Randy Berry has been named as a special Envoy for Global LGBT Rights.

Secretary of State John Kerry made the announcement today.

From the Washington Blade:

“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.”

Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, issued this statement of support:

“At a moment when many LGBT people around the world are facing persecution and daily violence, this unprecedented appointment shows a historic commitment to the principle that LGBT rights are human rights,” he said. “President Obama and Secretary Kerry have shown tremendous leadership in championing the rights of LGBT people abroad. Now, working closely with this new envoy, we’ve got to work harder than ever to create new allies, push back on human rights violators, and support the brave leaders and organizations that fight for LGBT rights around the world.”