Washington (dpa) – Secretary of State John Kerry named a career US diplomat Monday as the State Department’s first-ever special envoy for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Randy Berry, who served as consul general in Amsterdam since 2012, will take the post.
“We looked far and wide to find the right American official for this important assignment,” Kerry said. “Randy’s a leader. He’s a motivator. But most importantly for this effort, he’s got vision.”
Berry’s previous postings include New Zealand, Nepal, Bangladesh, Egypt, South Africa and two tours of Uganda. He speaks Spanish and Arabic.
Kerry called Berry a “voice of clarity and conviction on human rights” whose work in the new position would “significantly advance efforts underway to move towards a world free from violence and discrimination against LGBT persons.”
He said that LGBT persons are threatened, jailed and prosecuted in many countries.
“Too many governments have proposed or enacted laws that aim to curb freedom of expression, association, religion, and peaceful protest. More than 75 countries still criminalize consensual same-sex activity,” he said.