In a letter to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice yesterday, a bipartisan group of members of Congress asked the Ambassador to extend benefits to American LGBT employees of the United Nations.

The letter, signed by openly gay Reps. Tammy Baldwin, Barney Frank, and Jared Polis and dozens of straight allies, asks the Ambassador to provide benefits similar to those outlined by President Obama in a memorandum he signed in June extending certain benefits to domestic partners of federal employees, as well as those extended by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in May.

The letter reads in part:

“In light of President Obama’s Memorandum, as well as Secretary Clinton’s steadfast committement to ensuring LGBT federal employees at the Department of State are treated equally, we hope that you will continue this promise and enable American employees at the UN to designate their same-sex partners as domestic partners. These individuals lead dedicated lives of service, and deserve the opportunity to provide for their families.”

The full text of the letter to Ambassador Susan Rice can be found here.