Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced that the State Department hopes to provide partners of lesbian and gay diplomats with the same benefits as heterosexual couples, noting "these inequities are unfair and must end."

Clinton has sent a note to State Dept. employees that spells out her hopes for the plan, which include "providing training, medical care and other benefits to domestic partners promote the cohesiveness, safety and effectiveness of our posts abroad." The plan has not yet been publicly approved by the State Department. [CNN]

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