Robyn McCutcheon

Robyn Alice McCutcheon
Alma mater	University of Virginia Yale University Georgetown University
Occupation(s)	American diplomat, astronomical engineer, and historian of science
Notable work	Queer Diplomacy: A Transgender Journey in the Foreign Service

Robyn Alice McCutcheon ^[1] is an American diplomat, engineer and historian of science.

Career

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. ^[2] She was previously an astronomer and historian. ^[3] She is known for her work on the history of Soviet astronomy. ^[4] She also has several publications to her credit on the history of Soviet and Russian science during the Stalin period. ^[2] She became a member of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in 1983 ^[5] and was a member of the Historical Astronomy Division (HAD) of the AAS ^[6] and chair of the AAS International Relations Committee. ^[7] She formerly worked at the Space Telescope Science Institute and the Computer Sciences Corporation. ^[8] She also worked as an engineer on NASA missions, primarily Hubble Space Telescope. ^{[2] [9]}

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. ^[9] McCutcheon is a trans woman and is the first Foreign Service Officer to transition while posted overseas. ^{[9] [10]} She transitioned in 2011 in Romania. ^[1] She also served as president of glifaa, LGBTQIA+ pride in foreign affairs agencies. ^[11]

In 2024, McCutcheon published a memoir with Westphalia Press called Queer Diplomacy: A Transgender Journey in the Foreign Service. ^[12]

Publications

• McCutcheon, Robyn., & Ambartsumian, V. A. (October 2, 1987). "V. A. Ambartsumian" American Institute of Physics.
• McCutcheon, Robyn A. "The 1936-1937 purge of Soviet astronomers." Slavic Review 50, no. 1 (1991): 100-117. JSTOR   2500602
• Bronshten, Vitalii A., and Robyn A. McCutcheon. "VT Ter-Oganezov, ideologist of Soviet astronomy." Journal for the History of Astronomy 26, no. 4 (1995): 325-348.
• Doel, Ronald. E., and Robyn A. McCutcheon, eds. "Astronomy and the State: CIS Perspectives," a special issue of Journal for the History of Astronomy , no. 4 (1995).
• McCutcheon, Robyn. (August 19, 2003). "Russia’s Astronomy Icon Nears Rebirth". Sky & Telescope.
• McCutcheon, Robyn A. (November 14, 2017). "Why Is The U.S. Denying This Young Trans Woman A Student Visa?". HuffPost.
• McCutcheon, Robyn A. (March 7, 2018). "U.S. Consuls Already Have The Tools To Discriminate In Visa Decisions". HuffPost.
• McCutcheon, Robyn A. (November 10, 2018). "A Transgender American Diplomat Who Does Not Exist." HuffPost.
• McCutcheon, Robyn. (July 20, 2020). "Postoiev’s great comet journey: Tashkent to São Paulo" OCA MAGAZINE.
• McCutcheon, Robyn. (2024). "Queer Diplomacy: A Transgender Journey in the Foreign Service" Westphalia Press.
  • This publication is a part of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST) Memoirs and Occasional Papers Series.
    • ADST’s mission is to capture, preserve, and share the experiences of America’s diplomats. ADST has the world’s largest collection of U.S. diplomatic oral histories, as well as podcasts, videos, books, publications, and a “Moments in U.S. Diplomatic History” online series. ^[13]

References

1. "Gender Transition in the Department of State: Yes You Can!". glifaa.org. 30 November 2011. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019.
2. "2012 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month: Robyn McCutcheon". 2009-2017.state.gov. June 1, 2012. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019.
3. Graham, Loren R. (1993). Science in Russia and the Soviet Union: A Short History. Cambridge University Press. p.  221. ISBN   9780521287890.
4. "Russian & Soviet Science and Technology". hssonline.org. History of Science Society. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019.
5. Tinch, Crystal. "AAS Member Anniversaries in 2018". aas.org. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. 35 Years (Joined the AAS in 1983): McCutcheon, Robyn
6. Bracher, Katherine. "The Historical Astronomy Division". had.aas.org. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019.
7. Dick, Steven J. (February 1995). "From the Retiring Chair" (PDF). had.aas.org. Newsletter of the Historical Astronomy Division of the American Astronomical Society. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 December 2019. And I am very pleased with the ongoing work of the International Relations Committee (Bob McCutcheon, chair)...
8. "Participant List". adass.org. Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems. 2003. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Robert McCutcheon, Space Telescope Science Institute/Computer Sciences Corp., 1054 West St., Laurel, MD 20910, USA ([e-mail])
9. Tannehill, Brynn (January 12, 2017). "The top 50 successful transgender Americans you should know". LGBTQ Nation . Archived from the original on 21 December 2019.
10. McCutcheon, Robyn (2015). "Transgender Lives: Your Stories". The New York Times . I became the first U.S. foreign service officer to openly and publicly transition while serving at a U.S. mission overseas.
11. Lavers, Michael K. (June 20, 2014). "Kerry: LGBT rights are human rights". Washington Blade . Kerry praised GLIFAA President Robyn McCutcheon, who is the first foreign service officer to come out as transgender....
12. Mccutcheon, Robyn Ann Jane Alice (2024-03-17). "Transgender In and Out of State: Queer Diplomacy: A Transgender Journey in the Foreign Service". Transgender In and Out of State. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
13. "Association for Diplomatic Studies & Training – Capturing, Preserving, and Sharing the experiences of America's Diplomats". adst.org. Retrieved 2024-04-12.