Beg gay the Diplomatic Service: a personal acunt | Cheveng

Contents:

• UK'S NEW AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL IS FIRST OPENLY GAY BRISH ENVOY THE HOLY LAND
• MARK GOODG OBE, NEW BRISH AMBASSADOR TO THAILAND, IS OPENLY GAY AND MARRIED
• FIRST OPENLY GAY UK AMBASSADOR ‘PROUD’ TO BE ISRAEL
• RISHI SUNAK APOLOGIS TO LGBT VETERANS FOR PAST ARMED FORC GAY BAN
• THIS IS WHAT IT'S LIKE BEG AN AMBASSADOR TO AN ANTI-GAY COUNTRY WHEN YOU'RE A LBIAN
• BEG GAY THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE: A PERSONAL ACUNT
• DIPLOMATIC TENSN REPORTEDLY RISG BETWEEN UNED STAT AND JAMAI OVER GAY AMERIN DIPLOMAT

UK'S NEW AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL IS FIRST OPENLY GAY BRISH ENVOY THE HOLY LAND

Although bans on homosexualy were lifted for the foreign servic Bra and Ameri the early 1990s, prejudice and stigma often lgered and has taken two s for out gay reer diplomats to rise through the ranks to such senr posns. 'World is Changg'Davidson is at the foreont of the first generatn of ambassadors who are openly gay, and often also now married, to reprent their untri. State of Idaho)—or, to give the full name, Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Transphobia and largt worldwi LGBTI solidary event is held every May 17—to memorate the World Health Organizatn's cisn 1990 to classify homosexualy as a mental disorr—and the 2017 theme is "fay" all s also will be marked this year by the release om prison the U.

Davidson and Chang, 35 first beme advertent gay role mols 2014 Cha—where they both were prevly posted—after their marriage nducted at the Brish embassy Beijg provoked a viral firtorm on social media. In Bangkok, the ambassador has opened the doors to their home for the welg receptn for the ternatnal gay and lbian group ILGA, ftoong his 90-year-old home rabow flags for a night. "It also clus many iends, gay and straight, who have supported on this journey and will play a role raisg Elt a lovg, diverse muny.

"Havg a high-profile out gay Brish ambassador Bangkok—here wh his hband and child—monstrat that LGBTI people n take up such a role wh the support of their own fai. If Stt and I n provi a unterbalance to that as a gay uple livg what are perceived as regular, normal married liv, that's all to the good. Poonkasetwattana, who is executive director of APCOM, an Asia-Pacific muny work that advot for the rights, health and well-beg of sexual mori, echoed that noted that while Thailand is a tolerant society, even scribed by some as a gay "paradise", there are still ser challeng, cludg discrimatn agast transgenr people, sensatnalized and mockg verage of LGBTI news the media, the endurg surge of HIV/aids, and no regnn of the legal rights of same-sex partners.

MARK GOODG OBE, NEW BRISH AMBASSADOR TO THAILAND, IS OPENLY GAY AND MARRIED

"The ambassador is an out gay man who unrstands the stggl faced by LGBTI people and has given strong support to our work, " he said. "He don't let the opportuny pass to highlight that he is gay wh a fay Bangkok and this learship is extremely valuable to remd those ernment about LGBTI rights the regn. Legislatn that allowed same-sex upl to marry on Brish diplomatic terrory untri where gay unns are held their weddg at the ambassador's rince Beijg 2014 what Davidson said was tend to be a "low-key" ceremony wh jt 60 guts.

Dpe Thailand's reputatn as a generally welg haven for gays and lbians, the kgdom do not allow or regnize same-sex marriage unns, so he uld not arrive on the ual spoal documents.

After growg up small town Northern Ireland, and studyg law at Try College, Cambridge, Davidson joed the FCO 1985 wh apparently impecble qualifitns—except he was hidg his gay inty om an stutn that emed homosexualy a "character fect" and sack-able "offence" until 1991. David Quarrey, the Uned Kgdom's ambassador to Israel, is makg history by beg the first openly gay Brish envoy to the Holy Land.

FIRST OPENLY GAY UK AMBASSADOR ‘PROUD’ TO BE ISRAEL

Quarrey is the first openly gay Brish ambassador arrivg Israel wh his spoe, but he is not the first openly gay ambassador to the untry: A ago, the Danish ambassador brought his partner wh him to Israel. Quarrey and Henriquez arrived Israel jt a short time before the Jewish terrorist attack at the Jesalem gay pri para,.

JAKARTA, May 23 (Rters) - Indonia summoned Bra's ambassador on Monday to expla the raisg of a lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) flag at s embassy, and urged foreign missns to rpect lol "sensivi" followg a backlash among nservativ. Barrg the sharia-led provce of Aceh, homosexualy is not illegal Indonia, the world's largt Mlim-majory untry, although is generally nsired rabow LGBT flag was flown alongsi the Brish flag at the untry's embassy Jakarta on May 17 to mark the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, acrdg an Instagram post by the 212 Brotherhood, an fluential nservative Islamic movement, a statement said the flag sullied the "sacred valu of Indonia" Faizasyah, foreign mistry spokperson, nfirmed Brish ambassador Owen Jenks had been summoned. A 2020 survey by the Pew Rearch Center also showed that 80% of Indonians believe homosexualy "should not be accepted by society" week, Indonia's chief secury mister said a revisn of the crimal beg liberated by parliament clud some articl aimed at the LGBT muny, a move backed by some nservative remarks followed a backlash over a popular podst that was forced to scrap an episo this month which a gay uple was terviewed.

In the latt se, is wh the news the openly gay Mark Goodg OBE has been appoted as the new Brish Ambassador to Thailand. It isn’t jt nice the Brish ernment chose an openly gay man as the untry’s new Ambassador to Thailand, however, but also that they chose someone who is not only well-qualified but telligent as well. Showed his mettle appotg that untry's first gay ambassador, Jam Hormel, 1999.

RISHI SUNAK APOLOGIS TO LGBT VETERANS FOR PAST ARMED FORC GAY BAN

Great Bra lifted a ban on homosexuals the Foreign Office only 1991 unr Prime Mister John Major.

THIS IS WHAT IT'S LIKE BEG AN AMBASSADOR TO AN ANTI-GAY COUNTRY WHEN YOU'RE A LBIAN

An anizatn for Amerin LGBTQ members of the State Department, cludg Ambassadors, is the Gay and Lbians Foreign Affairs Agenci (GLIFAA). Quarrey is the first openly gay Brish ambassador to Israel. ”They participated this year’s gay pri para Tel Aviv, which they thought was “fantastic, ” and followg the murr of Shira Banki durg the Jesalem Gay Pri Para 2015, they reached out to Israeli Gay Youth, which turn reached out to precsors at the Brish Embassy nsistently engaged wh all sectors of Israeli society, cludg the ultra-Orthodox, and Quarrey has ntued this has vised stutns Bnei Brak, where he has been treated like any other foreign dignary, even though his hosts were aware that he was gay bee some of them had attend functns at the Brish Rince, where Henriquez was standg alongsi Quarrey to greet them.

The first openly gay Brish ambassador prented his crentials to Print Rven Rivl durg an official ceremony Jesalem last week.

BEG GAY THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE: A PERSONAL ACUNT

Quarry was Israel when an ultra-Orthodox Jew stabbed several people durg the Jesalem Gay Pri Para on July 30, killg Shira Banki, a 16-year-old high school stunt.

Together wh Henriquez, Quarrey took time to vis the Jesalem Open Hoe and meet wh gay Israeli youths. A Brish Ambassador has opened up about livg fear of persecutn, livg at the time that the gay people were forced to hi the closet. Until 1991 gay men and lbians were officially barred om workg for the Brish Diplomatic Service, and many went to great lengths to nceal their sexualy.

DIPLOMATIC TENSN REPORTEDLY RISG BETWEEN UNED STAT AND JAMAI OVER GAY AMERIN DIPLOMAT

Sir Stephen Wall, a diplomat who served as Bra’s ambassador to Portugal and Permanent Reprentative to the European Unn, opened up about his experienc as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office lnched a booklet on the historil jtic faced by gay people the service.

In a clip released by the Foreign Office, the diplomat explas: “I spent about half my reer workg si the buildg, knowg that I was a gay man, knowg that was a sackable offence if was disvered that I was gay. “It wasn’t a matter of if you were actually ught the act, was a matter of admtg or not that you had homosexual tennci, and that was the world I lived , and like all of my ntemporari the world that that I alt wh. “Even as late as 1991, when John Major lifted the ban on gay men and lbians workg the Diplomatic Service and appoted me as the UK Ambassador to the EU Bssels, I do not believe he would have felt able to make that appotment if I had then been openly gay.