First diplomat for LGBT rights speaks out about position “Our children may be straight, they may be gay, I really couldn’t care less, but I do want them to be happy.”
Says his trailblazing role won’t be easy
WASHINGTON Becoming a father was a prime motivator for Randy Berry to accept what’s sure to be a controversial new role at the State Department.
Berry, 50, is the U.S. special envoy for the human rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender persons, the first such post ever created by a nation, the State Department said.
In that trailblazing role, he said he has an opportunity to help his two children grow up in a world more accepting than the one he was born into. As someone who has “walked the personal journey of coming out,” Berry said he knows how critical positive support is to an LGBT community plagued by young suicides.
“Our children may be straight, they may be gay, I really couldn’t care less, but I do want them to be happy,” Berry told USA TODAY. “They’re likely to grow up in international environments, so I’m interested in working this in a broader space.”
It’s not going to be easy.
Many countries hostile to the LGBT community are U.S. allies in Africa and Asia, including Nigeria, Uganda, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. All are embroiled in fights with radical Islamic terror- ists who condemn homosexuality.
The issue is a “strategic necessity” because greater protections for human rights lead to greater stability and prosperity, Secretary of State John Kerry said when he announced the post in February.
Berry, a 22-year foreign service officer, has served in the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nepal, Uganda and South Africa, where he met his husband, Pravesh Singh. They have a daughter, Arya, 3, and a son, Xander, 2.
Berry has no illusions that his message will be received warmly in all circles. “Clearly not everyone is going to agree with the position we are taking,” he said.
Indeed, Nigerian Catholic Bishop Emmanuel Badejo describes U.S. and European insistence on LGBT rights as “cultural imperialism,” the imposition of ideas that don’t fit African society.