US Secretary of State issues formal apology for past LGBTI discrimination

US Secretary of State John Kerry today issued a former apology for past discrimination toward State Department employees and applicants based on sexual orientation.

The apology comes as Kerry, a former long-time US senator, winds down his four-year stint as the nation’s top diplomat.

Kerry said in a statement: ‘In the past – as far back as the 1940s, but continuing for decades – the Department of State was among many public and private employers that discriminated against employees and job applicants on the basis of perceived sexual orientation, forcing some employees to resign or refusing to hire certain applicants in the first place.

‘These actions were wrong then, just as they would be wrong today.’

Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, made an apology on behalf of the State Department.

‘I apologize to those who were impacted by the practices of the past and reaffirm the Department’s steadfast commitment to diversity and inclusion for all our employees, including members of the LGBTI community.’

Source: US Secretary of State issues formal apology for past LGBTI discrimination

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