Athens, June 30, 2021
Dear Ambassador Pyatt,
As Pride Month 2021 draws to a close, we would like to express our appreciation for the support given by US embassies around the world, and our Embassy in Athens in particular, in promoting full human rights for the LGBTQI+ community.
As Democrats, we work for the full inclusion of all in our society. As Democrats Abroad, we are keenly aware of our responsibility to a membership that includes American citizens who decided to stay abroad because they could not bring their non-citizen partners home with them. Attitudes and laws have improved in recent years, but bureaucratic entanglements persist for many. Our embassy’s flying the rainbow flag and training its staff to better serve LGBTQI+ Americans sends a powerful signal of hope that the Pride effort will succeed.
We were deeply moved to see the Black Lives Matter banner displayed from the embassy early this month. Americans living outside US borders have special reasons to embrace America’s public repudiation of recent attempts to tarnish our country through racial polarization.
We are proud of your work in this important area!
DAGR is at your service to sustain the momentum building inclusion and the equal rights of all. Please do not hesitate to call on us to support these efforts.
Thank you for showing us that we are seen and we are heard. It means so much as we approach the celebration of the 245th Independence Day of our American democracy.
On behalf of the Executive Committee of Democrats Abroad Greece,
Stacey Harris-Papaioannou
Chair Democrats Abroad Greece (DAGR)