Robyn Alice McCutcheon | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | University of Virginia Georgetown University |
| Occupation(s) | American diplomat, astronomical engineer, and historian of science |
| Employer(s) | United States Department of State; NASA |
| Known for | Being the first transgender US Foreign Services Officer to transition overseas; LGBTQIA+ activism |
| Notable work | Queer Diplomacy: A Transgender Journey in the Foreign Service |
Robyn Alice McCutcheon [1] is an American diplomat, engineer and historian of science. She served as a United States Foreign Service Officer from 2004-2019 in the countries of Kazakhstan, Russia, Romania, and Uzbekistan. [2] She was the first openly transgender woman to transition overseas during her term with the US Department of State.
After receiving an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia, McCutcheon received a master's degree in astronomy from Yale University and a master's degree in Russian studies from Georgetown University. [3] She was previously an astronomer and historian. [4] She is known for her work on the history of Soviet astronomy. [5] She also has several publications to her credit on the history of Soviet and Russian science during the Stalin period. [3] She became a member of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in 1983 [6] and was a member of the Historical Astronomy Division (HAD) of the AAS [7] and chair of the AAS International Relations Committee. [8] She formerly worked at the Space Telescope Science Institute and the Computer Sciences Corporation. [9] She also worked as an engineer on NASA missions, primarily Hubble Space Telescope. [3] [10]
She joined the US Department of State in 2004 and became a Foreign Service Officer in several countries, including Russia, Romania, Kazakhstan. She served at the Nuclear Risk Reduction Center in 2013–14. [10] McCutcheon is a trans woman and is the first Foreign Service Officer to transition while posted overseas. [10] [11] She transitioned in 2011 in Romania. [1] She also served as president of glifaa, LGBTQIA+ pride in foreign affairs agencies. [12] McCutcheon retired from the Foreign Service in 2019. [13]
In 2024, McCutcheon published a memoir with Westphalia Press called Queer Diplomacy: A Transgender Journey in the Foreign Service. [14]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)35 Years (Joined the AAS in 1983): McCutcheon, Robyn
And I am very pleased with the ongoing work of the International Relations Committee (Bob McCutcheon, chair)...
Robert McCutcheon, Space Telescope Science Institute/Computer Sciences Corp., 1054 West St., Laurel, MD 20910, USA (rmccutch@csc.com)
I became the first U.S. foreign service officer to openly and publicly transition while serving at a U.S. mission overseas.
Kerry praised GLIFAA President Robyn McCutcheon, who is the first foreign service officer to come out as transgender....