More coverage of the letter

Baldwin challenges Rice over State Dept. policies

The only open lesbian in the U.S. House of Representatives is continuing a correspondence with the U.S. State Department in a quest - that's been fruitless thus far - to secure policy changes to benefit the same-sex partners of gay foreign service officers.

U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) last week replied to an April 17 letter from Jeffrey Bergner, assistant secretary of Legislative Affairs for the State Department. Bergner's letter was a reply to an earlier letter Baldwin sent in February. Baldwin addressed both her letters to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Baldwin's initial letter addresses what she called "basic and common-sensepolicy changes" that would eliminate "inequities facing gays and lesbians atthe State Department." See Baldwin challenges Rice over State Dept. policies