Global Equality Today (September 2023)

Happy Autumn! (Almost)

True, neither the calendar nor the temperatures in D.C. quite reflect that fall is upon us. But we’re already diving into what will certainly be a very busy season here in Washington. CGE and its 35 member organizations are hard at work engaging our partners in the Administration and on Capitol Hill to ensure that U.S. foreign policy consistently and comprehensively promotes LGBTQI+ human rights around the world.

There are plenty of challenges in front of us, from the possibility of a government shutdown, the PEPFAR reauthorization stalemate, and the distractions of the 2024 election cycle to a flood of viciously anti-LGBTQI+ legislative efforts, not only here in the United States but in dozens of other countries as well.

But we are not approaching our mission from a defensive posture, no matter how well-organized the movement to roll back the human rights of LGBTQI+ people — and democracy and civil society at large — might be. Instead, with sixteen months to go in this first Biden Administration, we are focused on institutionalizing our victories and expanding our pro-human rights agenda:

• Alongside HRC, we are working with our Hill allies calling for the President’s Budget request to include $40 million for the State Department’s Global Equality Fund (GEF) and $30 million for USAID’s Inclusive Development Hub’s Protection of LGBTQI+ Persons in the FY2025 State and Foreign Operations appropriations bills. We are also partnering with numerous allies in the HIV and SRHR (sexual and reproductive health and rights) movements to pass a clean PEPFAR reauthorization, even in the face of unprecedented attacks from the anti-abortion movement.

• CGE — in collaboration with Rainbow Railroad, ORAM, Immigration Equality, and IRAP, all CGE members — is working with the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration to ensure that the Biden Administration’s direct referral and private sponsorship mechanisms for refugees are both fully LGBTQI+-inclusive and fully operational. This includes promoting Rainbow Railroad’s referrals to  the new Welcome Corps program that will allow local groups to sponsor LGBTQI+ refugees to bring them to safety in the United States. (You can read more in our World Refugee Day blog.)

• We are excited by USAID’s release of its revised and expanded LGBTQI+ Inclusive Development Policy, and we are looking forward to collaborating with USAID’s Senior LGBTQI+ Coordinator, Jay Gilliam, and his team to make sure that LGBTQI+ concerns are truly incorporated throughout the Agency’s work. To that end, we’ve added meetings with USAID’s regional and thematic bureaus to our annual meetings with State’s regional bureaus. And we are supporting the development of a new accountability mechanism at USAID to ensure that any violations of this groundbreaking new policy — or any other USAID policies ­— are reported and addressed at the local level.  

• We are working hard with Ugandan activists on the ground and with a global solidarity coalition organizing to overturn the horrific Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) assented to by President Museveni in May. The law has a genocidal intent and is already being implemented to disastrous effect. We are simultaneously working with regional colleagues to prevent the passage of similar anti-LGBTQI+ bills in other African countries, including Ghana and Kenya. Likewise, we are monitoring the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, where anti-LGBTQI+ legislation is pending and attacks on the LGBTQI+ communities are escalating, notably in Lebanon and Iraq.

• As part of our work fighting the AHA in Uganda, CGE met with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to call for the suspension of Uganda from AGOA, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which provides preferential trade benefits for qualifying countries. The AHA — the most draconian anti-LGBTQI+ law in the world — clearly contravenes the human rights requirements of the program, as well as the goals and ideals that animate the AGOA trade framework. CGE also has submitted public comments on Uganda, Kenya, and Ghana — in the latter two cases, with the goal of building pressure to scrap proposed anti-LGBTQI+ laws there — and will continue to work with our partners in the Administration and on the Hill to use U.S. trade policy as a tool to promote human rights.

CGE Co-Chairs Julie Dorf and Mark Bromley with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, center.

• We will continue to work with U.S., European, and Central Asian partners to push Uzbekistan for full decriminalization of homosexuality and the immediate end to the pervasive human rights violations committed against Uzbekistan’s LGBTQI+ community by state and non-state actors. This spring and summer, CGE and its partners have been meeting regularly with Congressional partners to promote this priority and to oppose rewarding Tashkent with normal trade relations without improving its human rights record. As Senators Murphy and Young introduce legislation to repeal Jackson-Vanik trade restrictions on Uzbekistan and its neighbors, we call on Congress and the Administration to ensure that human rights standards — including the decriminalization of homosexuality — are part of the trade normalization process.

Looking over the last few months, our work has included…

• CGE released an updated and expanded edition of Accessing U.S. Embassies: A Guide for LGBTQI+ Human Rights Defenders, our resource for helping international partners understand and access U.S. embassies and missions and build and maintain productive working relationships with U.S. diplomatic and development staff in around the world. This guide, released in English in June, will soon be available in Spanish, French, and Arabic as well.

• In May, CGE Co-Chair Mark Bromley attended the inaugural meeting of the P7 (for “Pride7”) that brought together LGBTQI+ advocates from the world’s leading industrial democracies to lobby the G7 alliance to promote LGBTQI+ human rights. The P7 meeting, ahead of the full G7 summit in Hiroshima, helped win support for passage of Japan’s first-ever LGBTQI+ rights legislation (as incomplete as the law may be) as well as lay the groundwork for the P7 becoming an officially recognized civil society engagement group attached to the G7.

CGE Co-Chair Mark Bromley joins other advocates at the inaugural meeting of the P7 in Tokyo

• At a June reception, CGE honored former Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) with our Global Equality Award shortly after he left Congress to lead the Rhode Island Foundation. We had the opportunity to talk with Rep. Cicilline about his leadership with the Congressional Equality Caucus and the Foreign Affairs Committee, the progress we’ve made during his dozen years in Congress, and the opportunities we see and the challenges we’re facing. Additionally, Ambassador Ursu Viorel of Moldova spoke powerfully about being the first openly LGBTQI+ Ambassador from a former Soviet republic and his country’s fundamental commitment to democracy and human rights — even as Russia wages war next door in Ukraine.

Top: former Rep. David Cicilline accepts the Global Equality Award

Bottom: Amb. Ursu Viorel of Moldova speaks to the reception

• In May, we spoke with Alexander Voronov, Executive Director of Coming Out, an NGO that provides legal, psychological, and other direct services to Russia’s LGBTQI+ community. Alex spoke about Coming Out’s continuing work, even in the face of the worsening crackdown on dissent in Putin’s Russia following the invasion of Ukraine — a crackdown that forced him to leave the country and function from exile.

• For IDAHOBIT, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia, we welcomed the U.S. government’s rollout of its Interagency Action Plan dedicated to ending so-called “conversion therapy” (CTP) practices around the world. With this plan, the U.S. government has committed itself to the numerous partnerships necessary to stop these abusive practices. This includes working with LGBTQI+ community groups around the world; with like-minded allies and other partner governments; and with faith leaders, educators, professional associations, and other civil society networks. The U.S. government also plans to work to end CTPs at various multilateral fora, including the development banks and international institutions to which the United States is a party, to ensure that no financial or programmatic support, direct or otherwise, goes towards CTPs.

• For Pride in June — knowing how easy it is to focus on the backlash and the battles we’re fighting — we published a list of 23 recent victories in the movement for LGBTQI+ justice and human rights. We also reiterated how Pride marches are both expressions of fundamental rights to democratic participation and tools for promoting inclusivity, visibility, and acceptance. CGE staff also attended the annual State Department and USAID Pride receptions, meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Administrator Samantha Power, respectively.

Co-Chair Julie Dorf and CGE member leaders meet with Secretary of State Blinken, left

• Additionally, at the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, CGE promotes accountability and investments that support LGBTQI+-inclusive development. CGE staff helped organize several World Bank meetings over the summer that ultimately led to the freezing of new investments in Uganda following the adoption of the AHA.

Pride (In the Name of Human Rights and Democracy)

Pride celebrations offer countless benefits for LGBTQI+ individuals and communities as well as for society at large. These inclusive and vibrant events play a crucial role in promoting visibility, fostering acceptance, and advancing LGBTQI+ rights.

In particular, Pride marches, festivals, and other events catalyze social and political change, historically pivotal in advancing LGBTQI+ rights. They have been at the forefront of advocacy efforts, igniting essential conversations on legal reform, anti-discrimination laws, and equal rights. By mobilizing the community and its allies, Pride celebrations amplify voices, shed light on critical issues, and pressure governments and institutions to take action. They are potent tools for progress, paving the way toward a more inclusive society.

Indeed, in our ever-increasingly polarized world, Pride events are especially invaluable as joyous celebrations that allow people to feel both personally celebrated and united in community.

However, it is essential to acknowledge that despite festive Pride celebrations around the world, LGBTQI+ individuals everywhere continue to face isolation, rejection, and discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or sex characteristics in many countries, including here in the United States. These realities often create a hostile environment, foster significant resistance to building more inclusive societies, and can even lead to violence against Pride events. But the point of Pride is, quite literally, to march on in the face of these challenges.

In some countries, U.S. embassies provide a safe space for LGBTQI+ individuals to come together, engage with policymakers, and organize cultural events, including Pride celebrations.

The simple yet powerful act of flying the Rainbow or Progress flag at U.S. embassies to commemorate Pride Month sends a resounding message of solidarity with local LGBTQI+ communities.

(LGBTQI+ Pride March in Brussels, May 21, 2022)

In Kenya, LGBTQI+ activists have organized and participated in Pride events at the local U.S. embassy – some of the first in the country. Some of these events have represented important milestones in the community’s advancement, lending significant visibility to the community.

However, in some countries in the Middle East, a solidarity message in celebration of Pride from the U.S. embassy on social media has been met with hostile responses and backlash towards the community.

In the United States, there are growing debates among Republicans questioning the State Department’s efforts to advance global LGBTQI+ human rights. Some argue that the U.S. government should refrain from engaging in contentious cultural matters, including those related to LGBTQI+ issues. But human rights are universal; they are not historically or culturally dependent.  

To be clear, Pride celebrations provide an opportunity for the U.S. government to demonstrate its commitment to human rights and equality for all. As a country that values individual freedoms and the principles of non-discrimination, the U.S. has a responsibility to stand up for LGBTQI+ rights worldwide. By endorsing and participating in Pride celebrations and, where appropriate, flying the Rainbow or Progress flag, the U.S. government sends a powerful message to other nations that it stands in solidarity with LGBTQI+ communities and advocates for their rights to be recognized and protected.

At its essence, Pride represents much more than the pursuit of LGBTQI+ equality. It embodies the fundamental principles of human rights and equality for all while acknowledging the historical injustices within our nation. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols, in a compelling piece in The Nassau Guardian last year, eloquently expresses this sentiment by affirming that when U.S. embassies fly the rainbow flag it symbolizes not only Pride Month but also a collective recognition that human rights are universal. “The racist murder of Black Americans is as reprehensible as the bias-driven murders of LGBTQI+ individuals,” insists Ambassador Nichols. “In all such cases, they are hate crimes. This is why our U.S. embassies display this symbol proudly, to recognize universal, indivisible human rights.”

Additionally, Pride celebrations are no longer just local or national events. Instead, Pride celebrations align with the broader U.S. foreign policy objectives of promoting democracy, human rights, economic development, and social justice. By actively engaging with these celebrations, the U.S. government demonstrates its unwavering commitment to these values, bolstering its reputation as a defender of human rights and progressive ideals.

To ensure LGBTQI+ activists and civil society groups are better prepared to partner with U.S. embassies during Pride celebrations and beyond, the Council for Global Equality just released a new publication – Accessing U.S. Embassies a Guide for LGBTQI+ Human Rights Defenders.

At their most powerful, Pride celebrations can significantly impact public opinion and societal attitudes. By supporting these celebrations, the U.S. government contributes to the global shift towards greater LGBTQI+ acceptance and inclusivity. This support can inspire and empower activists in other countries, giving them the recognition and validation to continue their work for change. It can also challenge harmful narratives and stereotypes, fostering an environment of respect and understanding.

Despite the progress we have made on LGBTQI+ issues in the United States, it becomes evident that the importance of Pride remains as significant as ever. Declaring a national state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans, the Human Rights Campaign warns that, regrettably, our nation has experienced alarming regression rather than progress in recent years when it comes to LGBTQI+ issues. This underscores the ongoing need for our unwavering commitment to the fight for human dignity.

Pride celebrations also provide an opportunity for the U.S. government to address the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in other countries. By highlighting human rights abuses, discriminatory laws, and societal stigmatization, the U.S. can pressure governments to reform policies and protect the rights of LGBTQI+ individuals. Through public statements, diplomatic channels, and engagement with international organizations, the U.S. government can advocate for legal reforms, anti-discrimination measures, and the decriminalization of homosexuality.

Finally, In his poignant and compelling remarks for Budapest Pride this year, Ambassador David Pressman effectively underscores the continued relevance of Pride and its profound implications for the future of our democracy. The struggle for human dignity extends far beyond achieving individual accomplishments or reaching specific milestones. It is a continuous journey that demands our persistent efforts and unwavering vigilance. Just like democracy itself, the pursuit of human rights and equality is an ever-evolving process that requires us to remain resolute in our commitment to protect and advance the rights of all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Reflections On Pride This Year

As Pride season ends, some reflections come to mind – less on Pride celebrations per se than on this Administration’s approach to global LGBTI fairness and equality.

Our country’s values of fairness and equality mean that we should stand against inequalities and discrimination impacting LGBTI populations abroad.  And across President Obama’s two terms of office, our country’s commitment to global LGBT human rights became clear:

• Human rights reports were revamped to include attention to atrocities and discrimination against LGBT and intersex people.
• A Presidential Memorandum was crafted to set the national interest context and interagency framework for how the U.S. would approach LGBTI human rights abuse and inequality abroad.
• Within this framework, the tools of U.S. foreign affairs agencies – police training, exchange programs, and efforts to strengthen equality-minded organizations overseas – were appropriately brought on line in a range of countries where LGBT populations have suffered hate crimes and abuse.
• A new Special Envoy position was created, better to integrate the often-unique challenges impacting LGBTI populations into our human rights policies, and to work with other countries to address LGBTI inequalities and partner on corresponding opportunities.
• The U.S. actively led in supporting LGBTI rights at the UN, and in encouraging respect for international norms with regard to LGBT and intersex people.
• And at key moments, the U.S. President and Secretary of State spoke out against state-sanctioned homophobia – most notably with regard to Russia and Uganda.

Some of the tools referenced above remain in place.  Police sensitization on LGBTI population issues continues.  So do exchange programs, and other efforts to address the short shrift given to LGBT people in so many countries of the world.  A number of talented civil servants continue to give these issues their attention and ideas.

But the Trump Administration has cold-shouldered human rights as a guiding principle, and has no vision of a cohesive approach to LGBTI inequalities abroad.  It has dismembered the interagency coordination on global LGBT issues that began under Obama, providing political appointees with scant guidance as to how these issues should be folded into their programs.  The Administration has rescinded U.S. participation in the UN Human Rights Council, and no longer provides the same leadership in the UN’s core group on LGBTI issues – both vital fora for addressing LGBTI abuses and advancing fairness objectives.  It has left unfilled the Special Envoy position and gutted global women’s health programs that impact LGBT communities.  Increasingly it uses the principle of religious freedom to justify discrimination against our community, at home and abroad.  It has turned its back on refugees, including LGBT and intersex men and women fleeing the most vile and heart-wrenching repression of their very being.  And rather than embracing human rights, President Trump has chosen to embrace dictators that violate those rights – from Russia and Egypt, to Turkey and the Philippines.

If Trump had used his contacts with these dictators to insist on respect for human rights principles, we might have a different view of this strange and unprecedented embrace.  But there’s no reason to believe he has done so, and no evidence of any change either.  There’s also no reason to accept assertions that the U.S. voice and impact on human rights will be stronger, now that we’re outside the UN Human Rights Council, than it was when the U.S. debated in that body.

The only glimmer we’ve seen has been the President’s application of the Magnitsky Act sanctions to those most responsible for the carnage that Chechen authorities have inflicted against gay and lesbian citizens of that region.  But the buck on that carnage stops with Putin – and so far as we know, Trump has done nothing to press Russia’s president to stop these abuses.  Nor has he spoken critically – in public or, as far as anyone can tell us, in private – to atrocities carried out by the many other human rights abusers with whom he sadly has allied our country.

The human rights community has called “nonsense ” to any notion that this Administration is a defender of human rights.  So have a growing number of Congressional voices, in both houses, who have taken a stand that this country will not abandon its human rights mantle and heritage, nor its embrace of the principle that all men and women – including those in the LGBTI community – are created equal, and deserve equal protection under law, whether at home or abroad.

This is the heart and message of Pride.  It is what our country has stood for, and will stand for again.  We ask all who believe in America’s support for equality to join in insisting that those who represent us – and those who seek or claim the mantle of leadership – recommit to these values.  And we ask this Administration to do the same.

Ambassador Eisen Marches in Pride Parade

Photo: Raymond Johnston

Repost from The Prague Post

U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Norman Eisen marched in the Prague Pride 2103 Parade, carrying the second banner after one held by the organizers. He participated in the first half hour of the march, dropping out about half way but two Prague embassy banners made it to the end, as did another one from the US Embassy in Berlin.

The Berlin banner carried sayings by Presidents John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama in support of human rights and gay rights respectively. “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law,” the sign said next to a stylized picture of Obama.

“All men are created equal. The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened,” the banner said next to Kennedy’s likeness. Another embassy banner quoted Secretary of State Hillary Clinton equating human rights and gay rights.

In another show of support for gay rights, the Gloriette, a small but highly visible building in the US Embassy complex, is being lit at night in a rainbow of colors until Aug. 18, the end of the week-long Prague Pride Festival. “The Gloriette is a garden pavilion perched high on the hill behind the U.S. Embassy in Prague. It flies the American flag and is the most visible sign of the U.S. presence in the Czech Republic. During Communist rule the Gloriette provided a beacon of inspiration as a symbol of freedom and democracy,” the embassy said on its website.

“The Embassy of the United States of America in Prague is proud to participate in the annual Prague Pride Festival for the third consecutive year,” the statement continued, adding that it supported the festival through a grant program. Continue Reading

Secretary Kerry Video Remarks Celebrating LGBT Pride Month

Transcript of video remarks:

Hello! I wanted to take a moment to join people around the world in celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride month.

This month is about the assertion of equality and dignity. It is about the affirmation of fundamental freedoms and human rights. It is about people taking pride in who they are, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity. Protecting universal human rights is at the very heart of our diplomacy, and we remain committed to advancing human rights for all, including LGBT individuals. We are committed to advancing these rights not just in the month of June, but year-round.

As Secretary, I join with my colleagues at our embassies, consulates, and USAID missions around the world in saying, no matter where you are, and no matter who you love, we stand with you.

Across the globe – in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas – our diplomats are assisting local LGBT organizations and supporting local human rights advocates working to promote equality, create dialogue, and ensure protections for LGBT individuals.

Through the Global Equality Fund, the State Department has already provided critical emergency and long-term assistance to promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons in over twenty-five countries. And our support will continue to grow, in cooperation with other equality-minded governments, foundations and corporations.

Forty-four years after Stonewall, we see incredible progress in the fight to advance the human rights and fundamental freedoms of LGBT people, both here in the United States and globally. Unfortunately, our work is not done. Recent events underscore that despite progress, we still have a long way to go. There are LGBT people of all ages, all races, and all faiths – citizens of every country on Earth. And in too many places, LGBT people and their supporters are being attacked and harassed for simply being who they are and for standing up for their rights.

The United States condemns all such violence, harassment, and discrimination. As President Obama said, “the struggle to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons is a global challenge, and one that is central to the United States’ commitment to promoting human rights.” LGBT persons must be free to exercise their human rights – including freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly and association – without fear of reprisal.

It is my honor to reaffirm the State Department’s commitment to promoting the human rights of LGBT persons, and indeed all human beings, worldwide.

To those celebrating Pride in the United States and around the world, I wish you all a Happy Pride month.

Secretary Hillary Clinton accepts the World LGBT Award from World Pride

Secretary Clinton Delivers a Video Message for Pride Month

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers a video message for Pride Month. A text transcript can be found at http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2012/06/192136.htm.

Pride March Support Statement by Ambassador John F. Tefft

March 2012- As Ambassador of the United States of America in Kyiv, I would like to express my support and the support of my country to all those who will participate in the first ever Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride March in Ukraine on May 20, 2012.  It saddens me to note that in many parts of the world, members of the LGBT community continue to suffer violence, discrimination, or persecution because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.  As Secretary of State Clinton states, “gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights,” and by embracing diversity, promoting tolerance and fighting prejudice and discrimination, we strive to build a world where everyone can enjoy his or her fundamental human rights.

I would like to convey my appreciation to the organizers of the Kyiv Pride March, and I hope that many people, both gay and straight, will join us in this cause.  I wish everyone a successful and peaceful celebration.

Watch President Obama’s Remarks at White House LGBT Pride Celebration

Marking Progress for LGBT Americans in Foreign Affairs

photo: US Department of State

Repost from Dipnote (The State Department Blog)

Curtis Ried is a Political Advisor at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. For more information on the work of the U.S. Mission to the UN, visit www.usun.state.gov and follow Ambassador Rice on Twitter and Facebook.

Life at the State Department has changed immeasurably for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees since the founding of Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies (GLIFAA) in 1992. As a member of GLIFAA and a Foreign Service Officer, I deeply appreciate the dedication of the Obama Administration to ensuring that LGBT members of the Foreign Service enjoy many more equal benefits for our partners and families than was the case until just a few years ago. On a broader level, the central role this Administration has given to the promotion of human rights for LGBT persons around the world is a tremendous source of pride for me and for my fellow LGBT colleagues. Continue reading at Dipnote