March 2022 Newsletter
Global Equality Today
March 2022
UKRAINE
Like most of our readers, the Council for Global Equality is deeply concerned and closely monitoring the Russian war in Ukraine. We applaud the White House announcement that the United States will welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees into the United States, but we recognize that it will take concerted action to rebuild our refugee processing system to practically accommodate those numbers on top of this fiscal year's goal of 125,000 refugees. The United State only admitted 11,411 refugees in the last fiscal year through normal channels, which was the lowest level in forty years and well below the target of 62,500 refugees set by the Biden Administration.
We also are pleased that the United States is launching the European Democratic Resilience Initiative (EDRI), which is intended to provide at least $320 million in new funding for Ukraine to support societal resilience and "increase the safety and security of activists and vulnerable groups including LGBTQI+ persons." The State Department and USAID need to program that funding as a matter of urgency.
We also are partnering with Congressional and administration leaders to ensure that the U.S. response to the Russian invasion includes support for the safety of LGBTQI Ukrainians and genuine inclusion in humanitarian support for the millions of Ukrainian civilians trying to live through the war. We’ve joined with advocacy groups and members of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus and the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus in calling for temporary protected status (TPS) for Ukrainians in the United States – which has now been awarded – and targeted refugee support for Ukrainians fleeing the conflict.
CGE is continuing to curate coverage of war’s implication for LGBTQI people in Ukraine, Russia, and the countries to which refugees have fled, as well as of the Russian leadership’s use of homophobia and transphobia to justify the invasion, target activists, and undermine freedom and democracy in Ukraine. Astonishingly, Russian religious propaganda now suggests that gay pride parades in Ukraine, apparently both the ultimate symbol and symptom of western decadence, triggered the invasion. For better or worse, our communities are caught in the global crosshairs of political and cultural realignments, and LGBTQI intolerance is now an unmistakable barometer of democratic backsliding.
We have also identified critical humanitarian needs for Ukraine’s LGBTQI community and salute OutRight Action International’s urgent fundraising campaign to support the community.
UKRAINE, AFGHANSTAN, AND OTHER REFUGEE CRISES
Six months ago, CGE, along with five of its members and allies, wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken to express concern for Afghanistan’s LGBTQI people in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover last August. In particular, CGE and its allies released a Ten-Point Plan to Protect LGBTQI Afghan Refugees that called on the Biden Administration to protect and safely resettle LGBTQI Afghans who face death sentences under Taliban rule.
Many of the concerns expressed six months ago for the safety and security of Afghan LGBTQI refugees, unfortunately, proved accurate. A January 2022 report, “Even If You Go to the Skies, We’ll Find You,” from Human Rights Watch and OutRight Action International, documented many interviewees being attacked, sexually assaulted, or directly threatened by members of the Taliban because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Others reported abuse from family members, neighbors, and romantic partners who now support the Taliban or believed they had to take action against LGBTQI people close to them to ensure their own safety.
Today, the eyes of the world are, appropriately, on Ukraine. With almost 3 million refugees having fled Ukraine as of this writing, CGE and its partners are reminded of the ever-present threat of displacement for the LGBTQI community in situations of conflict or humanitarian crisis.
The Ukrainian crisis is the latest example that demonstrates the urgency of addressing the needs of the most marginalized within the world’s refugee and asylum systems, but far too often, policy changes are too slow to bring LGBTQI refugees to safety. Closer to home, the refugees waiting in dangerous conditions in Mexico to seek asylum in the United States are yet another all-but-forgotten reminder of our failure to protect the most vulnerable refugees at our own door.
Despite the rapidly worsening emergency in Ukraine and the ongoing crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border, we must not lose sight of what is happening in Afghanistan because solutions being piloted there could help LGBTQI refugees elsewhere.
THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION, 14 MONTHS IN
Looking back over the past year-plus, CGE has seen significant progress in advancing LGBTQI human rights though U.S. foreign policy, but also recognizes there is far to go to deliver on the historic promises of the February 2021 Presidential Memorandum on advancing LGBTQI human rights around the world. While CGE awaits the State Department’s forthcoming one-year report on progress under the Presidential Memorandum, our blog offers numerous observations on the progress that we’ve seen to date, along with the priorities that clearly remain to be addressed.
On March 16, Jessica Stern, the Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons, testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee about the steps the Biden Administration is taking to promote inclusive democracy for LGBTQI people around the world.
SUMMIT FOR DEMOCRACY
In December, the Biden Administration hosted a virtual Summit for Democracy for 110 countries, which is to be followed by an in-person summit in early 2023. It is critical that metrics be established to ensure that those invited to the phase-two Summit show broad and specific progress toward democracy, human rights, and LGBTQI inclusion. CGE and other democracy and human rights groups have called on the Biden Administration to weigh actions by each of the 110 participating states as part of the “year of action” between the two summits, including efforts by each of the governments to promote the rights and democratic participation of their LGBQI citizens. To assist in this effort, CGE produced “report cards” marking LGBTQI commitments and progress toward LGBTQI equality goals in each participating country in advance of the 2021 Summit. All countries, including the United States, should commit to improving their scores before CGE issues new report cards during the next Summit.
You can view our webinar on the Summit for Democracy report cards (produced in collaboration with the Franklin & Marshall Global Barometers project), along with the discussion paper outlining the impact that CGE hopes to see come out of the Summit in regard to LGBTQI communities around the world. Additionally, the State Department is collecting written commitments here from the participants of the first Summit.
GLOBAL RESPECT ACT
In February, in a 227-206 vote with bipartisan support, the House of Representatives passed the Global Respect Act (H.R. 3485), a bill introduced by Representative David Cicilline (D-RI) and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) to sanction those who persecute LGBTQI individuals and report on global human rights abuses. The bill revokes U.S. visas for those who commit gross violations of human rights targeting LGBTQI individuals, including acts of murder, torture, or prolonged arbitrary detention. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi recognized the historic significance of this first global LGBTQI bill to reach the House floor, noting that the “House took a bold step forward in protecting the fundamental rights and dignities of the global LGBTQ community.” The Global Respect Act now heads to the U.S. Senate, where it also enjoys bipartisan support.
PEPFAR
Last September, the White House offered its nomination of Dr. John Nkengasong to serve as Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally. Last week, Dr. Nkengasong, Director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, finally received his long-overdue Senate confirmation hearing.
The Council for Global Equality calls on the Senate to swiftly confirm Dr. Nkengasong to lead PEPFAR, the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Dr. Nkengasong, with three decades of experience in global health — including serving as founding Director of Africa CDC since 2016 — is eminently qualified for this position.
To reach the goal of ending HIV/AIDS as a public threat this decade, and especially to address the urgent needs of LGBTI people and other key populations, we need evidence-based strategies grounded in human rights principles. The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt significant setbacks to HIV prevention and treatment services, according to a recent report from the Global Fund. In that context, it is remarkable that PEPAR has maintained its status quo in providing HIV treatment and prevention services in dozens of countries. But without the leadership and diplomatic power of a confirmed Ambassador, PEPFAR cannot transcend the status quo, and the status quo is failing LGBTI people and other key populations.
AT THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT
In February, the Senate confirmed Chantelle Wong as the U.S. Executive Director to the Asian Development Bank, making her the first openly lesbian U.S. Ambassador and the first LGBTQI U.S. Ambassador of color.
An extraordinarily qualified professional, Ambassador Wong’s 30-plus years of experience and expertise in international development, finance, the environment, and technology make her incalculably qualified for this role. While CGE applauds the Biden-Harris Administration for Ambassador Wong’s historic confirmation, the nomination barely dents the stunning underrepresentation of LGBTQI people of color, lesbians, and trans people in the foreign affairs arena generally and especially for top diplomatic posts. By nominating more ambassadors who, through their lived experiences, possess a deep understanding of the fundamentally linked harms of racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia, we have an opportunity to promote an American foreign policy that meaningfully upholds the full humanity of all persons.
AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT
With the above in mind, CGE observed International Women’s Day by celebrating lesbian leaders at the State Department: Elizabeth Lee (Consul General in Thessaloniki, Greece), Eliza Al-Laham (Consul General in Guadalajara, Mexico), Kerri Hannan (Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy, Policy, Planning, and Coordination in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs), Lucia Piazza (Director of the Foreign Service Board of Examiners), Lynn Sicade (Senior Advisor for Multilateral and Global Human Rights Policy, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor), and Special Envoy Jessica Stern.
Last fall, the State Department issued its very first U.S. passport with a nonbinary X gender marker. This is a historic step to affirm the dignity and protection of intersex and nonbinary U.S. citizens as they travel abroad. The passport was issued to pioneering activist Dana Zzyym, who called the passport “liberating.” Special Envoy Jessica Stern noted that “when a person obtains identity documents that reflect their true identity, they live with greater dignity and respect.” They also are safer and more secure. The full rollout of nonbinary options for all U.S. passport holders is expected in the coming months.
We also want to take a moment to remember James Hormel, the first openly gay U.S. Ambassador, who passed away last August. After opposition from anti-LGBTQI Senators blocked his confirmation, President Clinton issued a recess appointment for Hormel, who represented the U.S. as Ambassador to Luxembourg from 1999 to 2001. We remember Ambassador Hormel for his generosity and friendship, and for affirming that LGBTQI people are part of America’s face to the world. We honor his service to our country. And we join with so many others in thanking him and his family for a life well-lived.
GLOBAL LGBTQI DEVELOPMENTS
Civil Society and LGBTQI Youth
Around the world, attacks on the fundamental human rights of LGBTQI people broadly, and on LGBTQI youth in particular, continue to be the canary in the coal mine, as authoritarians seek to repress independent civil society, frequently under the cynical guise of “protecting” families and vulnerable youth. This is just as true in the United States, with anti-trans bills and policies stacking up in state legislatures, as it is in other countries.
In Hungary, after previous laws to end legal recognition for transgender and intersex persons, limit marriage to heterosexual couples, and prohibit adoption by same-sex couples, voters will head to the polls next month for a referendum on whether to prohibit LGBTQI-affirming content in school materials or media programs aimed at youth. Meanwhile, Poland’s ruling nationalist party passed a law centralizing government control over schools, with the goal of limiting discussion of LGBTQI and reproductive rights and of sex education. President Andrzej Duda vetoed the law at the beginning of March, noting the need to focus on the Ukraine crisis but leaving the door open to revisit the goals of the bill.
The rhetoric of “protecting” children by attacking transgender youth in Hungary and Poland directly mirrors the new directive from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott criminalizing health care for transgender youth, similar legislation advancing in Idaho and Alabama, Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, a new law in Iowa to prohibit transgender girls from participating in women's sports, and many more laws currently moving through the legislatures of U.S. states. On the bright side, Republican governors in Utah and Indiana have vetoed bills to ban participation by trans girls in women’s sports.
As we track this trend, at home and around the globe, we’ve been struck by the observations of Rémy Bonny, who both follows the money trail and connects the ideological dots from Putin’s inner circle to the U.S.-based World Congress of Families, as these forces unite to promote anti-LGBTQI laws and anti-democratic movements in dozens of countries.
Marriage Equality
Earlier this month, marriage equality took effect in Chile, with several couples officially tying the knot the first morning they could. Chile joins Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, and Costa Rica on the list of Latin American countries with nationwide marriage equality.
A recent Human Rights Watch article addresses the obstacles facing Panamanian same-sex couples from winning their right to marriage equality, while courts in South Korea, Namibia, and (just as we went to press) Bermuda and the Cayman Islands have dealt setbacks to same-sex couples seeking legal recognition.
In Guatemala early last week, Congress passed a “Life and Family Protection Law,” which bans marriage equality, prohibits discussion of sexual diversity in schools, and mandates up to ten years of jail time for women who have abortions. However, later in the week, President Alejandro Giammetti surprisingly threated to veto the bill, and as of this moment, the law’s fate is unclear.
Transgender Rights
Despite the legislative campaigns and political scapegoating in some countries, we have also seen some remarkable victories for transgender and nonbinary people in recent months. In February, Kuwait’s constitutional court overturned a law criminalizing “imitation of the opposite sex” that has been used to persecute transgender people. That same month, a court in Mexico’s Guanajuato state issued a native of the state a new birth certificate with a third gender. In March, Colombia’s constitutional court went further, issuing a ruling making the country the first in Latin America to offer a nonbinary gender marker across the nation. Meanwhile, the Indian government has rolled out a plan to offer education, economic empowerment, and health insurance that covers gender-affirming surgeries.
Also of note: the increasing number of elected transgender politicians in Latin America.
Decriminalization
In a major CEDAW judgment, a United Nations treaty body called on Sri Lanka's government to repeal its law — Section 365, a law dating back to the era of British colonial rule — that criminalizes adult, consensual same-sex conduct, including between women.
The case was brought under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) by Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, an LGBTQI rights activist who faced harassment and discrimination for her sexual orientation and human rights advocacy on behalf of sexual and gender minorities.
In February, to the disappointment of LGBTQI activists in Singapore, the country’s high court unfortunately refused to follow in India’s footsteps and overturn Section 377A, yet another holdover from British colonialism, which in Singapore criminalizes sex between men. Though Singapore’s government has pledged not to enforce the law, Pink Dot, the country’s leading LGBTQI advocacy group, declared,
“The acknowledgment that Section 377A is unenforceable only in the prosecutorial sense is cold comfort … Section 377A’s real impact lies in how it perpetuates discrimination across every aspect of life: at home, in schools, in the workplace, in our media, and even access to vital services like health care.”
In Senegal, lawmakers in January defeated an attempt to make the country’s already harsh laws against LGBTQI people even more severe.
In an especially egregious assault on free speech, a court in Uzbekistan sentenced blogger Mirazaz Bazarov in January to up to three years in prison for calling for the decriminalization of same-sex relations.
Digital Security
Article 19 has published an in-depth report on how police forces in Egypt, Tunisia, and Lebanon are increasingly using digital tools to identify, entrap, and prosecute LGBTQI people, thus “intensifying anti-queer surveillance.” (Also see coverage of the report in Wired.)
Conversion Therapy
The global movement against so-called “conversion therapy” — the widely debunked, pseudo-scientific practice of attempting to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity — continues to grow. This includes landmark victories in Canada, France, New Zealand, Israel, and the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Parenting
In Germany, lesbian mothers have launched a campaign to reform the civil code to grant legal recognition of both parents, not just the biological mother. Next door, the government of the Czech Republic is failing to adopt EU standards when it comes to recognizing same-sex couples’ adoption rights.
Zooming out to the global level, Human Rights Watch offers a survey of how citizenship laws often fail to protect LGBTQI families and calls for reforming such laws to protect same-sex couples and their children, along with other diverse family structures.
Brittney Griner
While other aspects of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine captivate the world’s attention, we (and Congressional and State Department officials) are paying close attention to the case of WNBA superstar Brittney Griner, who was arrested and detained by Russian authorities weeks before the invasion for alleged possession of a vape pen. As this newsletter went to press, a Russian court extended Griner’s detention until May 19, and U.S. consular officials were finally able to visit Griner and confirm that she is “doing as well as can be expected.”
On one hand, Will Leitch asks why the case of Brittney Griner—the 6’9” Black, gender-bending lesbian star of the Phoenix Mercury and UMMC Ekaterinburg—isn’t the biggest sports story in the country; on the other hand, CGE understands the concerns about not wanting to inadvertently help make her a political pawn or negotiating point in the current conflict. Leitch also rightly points out the culpability of the WNBA for offering low salaries that drive American female sports stars to play in Russia for much higher pay. Dave Zirin, meanwhile, gives voice to the “Free Brittney!” movement.
China and the Beijing Winter Olympics
While the world noted China’s selection of a Uyghur athlete to light the cauldron and distract the world’s attention from its genocide in Xinjiang during the Winter Games, its pre-Olympics crackdown also included targeting LGBTQI content. Due to the just-passed Personal Information Protection Law, Grindr’s owners pulled the app from Apple’s China store.
On a brighter note, the 36 out LGBTQI athletes in Beijing won 4 gold medals, 2 silver, and 3 bronze; put another way, Team LGBTQI would have ranked 12th in the country medal standings, just ahead of Italy and Japan, using the traditional gold-silver-bronze-total system of medal count. These victories included gold medals to the Canadian women’s hockey team — “the gayest Winter Olympic team of all time,” according to NBC — and to Dutch speedskater Ireen Wüst, the first individual athlete, of any gender, to win gold at 5 different Olympics, Winter or Summer. In Beijing, Wüst announced her plans to retire soon and marry her long-time girlfriend.
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August 2021 Newsletter
Global Equality Today
August 2021
The Council for Global Equality (CGE) is actively engaging the new Biden Administration to restore U.S. leadership in support of human rights for LGBTQI persons abroad. CGE released a set of transition policy papers after the November presidential election (read our proposals here) that continue to guide our advocacy. Time Magazine quotes CGE on “How Biden Can Make the U.S. a Global Leader on LGBTQ Rights.”
Reaffirming Pride in Washington. As we celebrated Pride month in Washington in June, the Biden Administration announced the appointment of a new Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI Persons, nominated our country’s first openly lesbian ambassador, raised Pride flags over more than 130 U.S. embassies and over the State Department in Washington for the first time, announced new procedures to simplify gender marker changes and allow nonbinary “x markers” on U.S. passports, reinterpreted regulations to ensure children born abroad to same-sex parents receive U.S. citizenship, and hosted the first government panel focused on transgender rights at the UN Human Rights Council.
Also in June, Congress held the first foreign affairs hearings dedicated to LGBTQI rights abroad, reintroduced the GLOBE Act and other international LGBTQI bills with more support than ever, and increased annual appropriations to support human rights and development funding for LGBTQI communities abroad.
CONGRESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
First Global LGBTQI Hearing in the House Foreign Affairs Committee: CGE Senior Advisor Julie Dorf joined a State Department official and international human rights defenders in the first hearing dedicated to global LGBTQI trends before the full Foreign Affairs Committee. Entitled “Advancing and Protecting LGBTQI+ Rights Abroad,” Chairman Meeks (D-NY) gaveled the hearing to order by noting that “the threats posed to LGBTQI people around the world are dire” and calling on the Committee to speak out, lead by example, and pass the Committee’s pending LGBTQI protection bills. Watch the video here.
European Subcommittee Hearing: This Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee also held an in-depth hearing focused on “Understanding the Fight to Protect LGBTQI+ Rights in Europe and Eurasia.” Watch the video here.
GLOBE Act Introduced (H.R. 3800, S. 1996): Representative Titus (D-NV), Senator Markey (D-MA), Senator Shaheen (D-NH), and Senator Merkley (D-OR) reintroduced the GLOBE Act (Greater Leadership Overseas for the Benefit of Equality) in both the House and Senate. This comprehensive “vision bill” provides a broad roadmap for U.S. leadership to advance the human rights of LGBTQI and other vulnerable minority communities around the world. The bill has strong support, with 109 cosponsors in the House, 22 cosponsors in the Senate, and the endorsement of 36 leading human rights organizations. House markup is expected in September. Read more here.
International Human Rights Defense Act Introduced (H.R. 1201, S. 424): Representative Lowenthal (D-CA) and Sen. Markey (D-MA) reintroduced this bill to protect the human rights of LGBTQI individuals by codifying the position of Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI Persons at the State Department and requiring the State Department to develop a global strategy to respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI people internationally. There are 122 cosponsors in the House and 30 cosponsors in the Senate. House markup is expected in September.
Global Respect Act (H.R. 3485, S. 2277): Representative Cicilline (D-RI) and Senator Shaheen (D-NH) reintroduced this bipartisan bill to require a biannual list of foreign individuals who commit human rights violations targeting the LGBTQI community. Those individuals would then be subject to U.S. visa sanctions. It also would codify LGBTQI reporting requirements in the State Department’s annual Human Rights Report. The bill had 49 cosponsors in the House and 9 cosponsors (including 3 Republicans) in the Senate. House markup is expected in September.
Appropriations: CGE worked closely with member organizations and appropriation staff to increase the set-aside for LGBTQI programming at the State Department and USIAD in the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Bill (SFOPS). The FY 2022 House appropriation for the Global Equality Fund at the State Department was increased to $15 million (from $10 million this fiscal year). USAID funding was set at $10 million in FY 2022 (from $6 million this fiscal year). Based on an analysis of global funding dedicated to LGBTI programming from other leading donor governments, CGE is already advocating for an increase to $60 million for State Department and USAID in the FY 2023 appropriation. See our analysis of LGBTQI funding here.
EXECUTIVE BRANCH ACTION
The Biden Administration continued to implement its Presidential Memorandum on the advancement of human rights of LGBTQI persons. A factsheet was issued on May 17 to catalogue progress and to recognize the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
In a Pride Speech at the White House, President Biden announced the appointment of Jessica Stern to serve as the next Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI Persons. CGE joined many others in celebrating this choice, writing: “We could not imagine a better choice to lead President Biden’s vision for equality and human rights abroad.”
President Biden also nominated our country’s first open lesbian for an Ambassador-ranked position, almost 30 years after our first openly gay Ambassador (James Hormel) was nominated by President Clinton. If confirmed by the Senate, Chantale Wong will serve as the U.S. Director of the Asian Development Bank. Read more about her historic nomination here.
The State Department announced changes in passport guidelines to allow U.S. citizens to self-select their gender designation on U.S. passports without any medical certifications for transgender Americans. It also announced that it is in the process of creating a new nonbinary or “X-marker” on U.S. passports for non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming persons who do not identify as male or female.
The State Department announced that it has updated its interpretation of citizenship laws to ensure that children of same-sex couples born abroad using assisted reproductive technology are eligible for U.S. citizenship, even if they are not genetically related to a U.S. citizen. Previous interpretations of the law resulted in the denial of U.S. citizenship to some children born abroad to same-sex couples.
Secretary Blinken sat down for a substantive Pride discussion with the Atlantic Council and also addressed the first transgender panel hosted by governments at the UN Human Rights Council. The transgender panel was organized by the United States and co-hosted by 22 other UN member states. Addressing the theme of “An Epidemic of Violence – Defending the Lives of Transgender Women,” the event featured a keynote address by actress and activist Angelica Ross and remarks from a panel of global experts. It was moderated by Delaware State Senator Sarah McBride, the first transgender state senator in the U.S. The panel can be viewed here (password hrc0623).
GLOBAL LGBTQI DEVELOPMENTS
In recent good news . . .
Argentina began issuing non-binary identification cards and passports in July, making it the first country in Latin America to do so.
The Senate in Chile passed marriage equality in July, after President Piñera announced his support for the bill. It now goes to the House of Representatives for the next vote. This has been a goal of the LGBTQI movement in Chile since former President Bachelet’s time in office.
Two transgender women were released after five months in prison on bail in Cameroon pending an appeal of their conviction. They were arrested in February for wearing women’s clothing in a restaurant and convicted of “attempted homosexuality,” public indecency, and failing to carry identification.
In a landmark decision, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled for the first time that the government of Honduras was liable in the death of transgender woman Vicky Hernandez.The court ordered Honduras to train security forces on how to conduct investigations of anti-LGBTQI violence within two years and to improve data collection on cases motivated by anti-LGBTQI bias.
The European Commission finally took action against Poland and Hungary for their infringements on LGBTQI people’s rights by initiating procedures against the censorship of LGBTQI-affirming children’s books in Hungary and “LGBT-Free” zones in Poland.
In bad news . . .
Tblisi Pride was targeted by religious and political forces in Georgia, resulting in the cancellation of the pride events and a brutal attack on a group of journalists attempting to cover the anti-gay protests. Over 60 journalists were hurt in the attack, including a local cameraman who was killed by the mob. Hundreds of anti-gay protesters took to the streets on July 5 to block the Pride event, which the journalists were attempting to cover. The footage from the events is chilling, with the police doing nothing to stop the violence. A week prior to this tragedy, U.S. anti-gay extremist Brian Brown spoke at an event supporting the ultra-conservative group that called for the anti-Pride protest.
After a raid during the opening of an LGBTQI center in Ghana earlier this year, and the arrest of 21 gay and trans people, anti-gay forces in Ghana introduced the world’s worst piece of anti-LGBTQI legislation in July, called the “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values.” This new bill would imprison LGBTQI people for 10 years, as well as groups or people who advocate for or provide services to LGBTQI people for 5 years. With apparent links to U.S. extremist organizations such as World Congress of Families and Family Watch International, Ghana’s National Coalition of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values has been pushing this extreme legislation and creating a dangerous repression against the LGBTQI community.
In Hungary, after the government passed a Russian-style “anti-propaganda” law which criminalizes the positive depiction of LGBTQI people, tens of thousands defied far-right Prime Minister Orbán's LGBTQI content ban with a large Pride parade in Budapest. This occurred just a few days after he announced a public referendum on “child protection” as another way of drumming up support for his party prior to spring elections. One of the (mis)leading questions in the referendum asks: “Do you support minors being shown, without any restriction, media content of a sexual nature that is capable of influencing their development?”
In early July, China unexpectedly shut down LGBTQI social media accounts, with no explanation. After years of the government silently tolerating LGBTQI centers and media activity, this surprising move has scared activists and organizations in the county.
The Uzbekistan government admitted in the press that there are currently 49 men in prison with convictions under the country’s sodomy law, one of only two countries with a Soviet-era sodomy law still in force. Human Rights Watch reported that at least six men were subjected to forced anal examinations as part of their prosecutions. Despite attempts to improve its human rights record, and with affairs between our two countries increasingly crucial to security in the region, the Uzbekistan government is nonetheless considering a new draft penal code that maintains the sodomy provision. Some members of the U.S. Congress have proposed legislation to normalize trade relations with Uzbekistan, which should be considered in the context of the country’s human rights record and its treatment of its LGBTQI citizens.
In late June, the Dominican Republicchanged its penal code to eliminate sexual orientation from existing nondiscrimination protections and created a massive religious exemption clause to allow for anti-LGBTQI discrimination in the country.
And some additional worthwhile media . . .
The Washington Blade’s four-part series “Locked Up in the Land of Liberty,” by Cuban gay asylee Yariel Valdés González, is a detailed diary of life in ICE detention over 11 months, after fleeing persecution in Cuba. The GLOBE Act would prohibit ICE detention for similar asylum seekers.
Open Democracy released findings from a six-month investigation on conversion therapy in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, which revealed that USAID, PEPFAR and the Global Fund were inadvertently supporting health clinics that were referring gay people to facilities that claimed they could help change their sexual orientation.
A wonderful HBO film was released during Pride month on the perseverance and creativity of LGBTQI people in Nigeria called The Legend of the Underground.
March 2021 Newsletter
Global Equality Today
March 2021
** The Council for Global Equality offers this edition of “Global Equality Today” – a periodic newsletter to inform Hill staff of priority policy issues impacting LGBTQI people abroad. Please let us know if you wish to be removed from this newsletter, and please share with other colleagues who might benefit from it. **The Council for Global Equality and our thirty institutional members are actively engaged with the new Biden-Harris Administration to restore U.S. leadership in support of human rights for LGBTQI individuals everywhere. Immediately after the November election, we released a set of transition policy papers that serve as a blueprint for Centering the Rights of LGBTI Individuals in U.S. Foreign Policy.President Biden’s first major foreign policy speech embedded LGBTQI rights squarely within our human rights policy, and a parallel Presidential Memorandum on Advancing the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Persons Around the World, released on the same day, now commits foreign affairs agencies to advance a genuinely LGBTQI human rights policy in ways rejected by the Trump Administration. (Read our analysis here.)PRIORITES for 117th CongressWorking with a new HFAC Chair: CGE released a public letter calling on House Democrats to select a new Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee who would leverage the jurisdiction of the Committee to promote LGBTQI rights. All three candidates pledged their commitment to global equality, and CGE looks forward to working with Chairman Meeks to help implement President Biden’s LGBTQI agenda. Senate Confirmation Hearings: CGE is working with Senate offices to ensure that President Biden’s Cabinet members are asked to explain how they will support LGBTQI rights through U.S. diplomacy. Secretary Blinken gave a heartfelt response to an LGBTQI question in his confirmation hearing and pledged to repudiate the findings of Pompeo’s Commission on Unalienable Rights. We also have offered UN Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield a set of recommendations to support her pledge to advance LGBTQI rights at the United Nations. We will continue to encourage similar LGBTQI-focused questions to ensure that all of President Biden’s foreign affairs appointees are LGBTQI competent. Legislative Priorities: CGE also supports the reintroduction and passage of the following bills in the 117th Congress.
- CGE’s priority bill is the “GLOBE Act” – Greater Leadership Overseas for the Benefit of Equality. Rep. Titus (D-NV) and Senator Markey (D-MA) introduced GLOBE in the last Congress (H.R. 3874, S.3004 in the 116th). As a comprehensive vision bill that also was endorsed by President Biden’s political Campaign, the bill provides a broad roadmap to restore U.S. leadership in advancing the human rights of LGBTQI and other vulnerable minority communities around the world. There were 87 cosponsors in the House and 20 cosponsors in the Senate in the last Congress. Reintroduction is expected by June 2021. (Read the Council’s endorsement and a blog explaining the bill’s impact here.)
- Rep. Lowenthal (D-CA) and Sen. Markey (D-MA) just reintroduced the International Human Rights Defense Act (H.R. 1857, S. 861 in the 116th) to protect the human rights of LGBTQI individuals by codifying the position of Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI Persons at the State Department and requiring the State Department to develop a global strategy to respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI people internationally. There were 214 cosponsors in the House and 40 cosponsors in the Senate in the last Congress.
- Rep. Cicilline (D-RI) and Senator Shaheen (D-NH) lead on the Global Respect Act (H.R. 3252, S.1825 in the 116th). The bipartisan bill would require a biannual list of foreign individuals who commit human rights violations targeting the LGBTQI community. Those individuals would then be subject to U.S. visa sanctions. It also would codify LGBTQI reporting requirements in the State Department’s annual Human Rights Report. The bill had 94 cosponsors in the House and 9 cosponsors in the Senate during the last Congress and it was the only international LGBTQI bill to get a committee markup in the House. The bill is expected to be reintroduced by summer 2021.
- Rep. Castro (D-TX) and Sen. Menendez (D-NJ) introduced the “LOVE Act” – the Lavender Offense Victim Exoneration Act (H.R. 8809, S. 1252 in the 116th), which accepts overdue responsibility for the consequences of the “Lavender Scare” – the1950’s-era witch hunt that resulted in the dismissal of hundreds of State Department employees owing to their perceived sexual orientation. Importantly, the bill requires the State Department to consult with Congress on steps taken to ensure LGBTQI employees and their families may now serve in any of our diplomatic missions abroad, calling for the elimination of visa reciprocity for countries that persistently deny visas to the families of our LGBTQI diplomats. There were 20 cosponsors in the House and 22 cosponsors in the Senate in the last Congress. Reintroduction is expected soon.
- CGE’s leadership worked with member organizations and appropriation staff to secure a set-aside for LGBTI programming at State Department and USIAD in the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act (SFOPS) report language. The FY 2020 appropriation for the Global Equality Fund at the State Department was set at $7.5 million and this was increased to $10 million in FY 2021. USAID funding was set at $5 million in FY 2020 and increased to $6 million in FY 2021. Based on an analysis of global funding dedicated to LGBTI programming from other leading donor governments, CGE is advocating for an immediate jump to $60 million for State Department and USAID in the FY 2022 appropriation.
EXECUTIVE BRANCH ACTION President Biden issued a Presidential Memorandum to prioritize the advancement of human rights of LGBTQI persons. The President has called on our diplomats to begin building coalition of like-minded governments to advance these efforts, recognizing that “[b]ilateral relationships with allies and partners, as well as multilateral fora and international organizations, are key vehicles to promote respect for and protection of the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons and to bring global attention to these goals.” Read our analysis here.The Presidential Memorandum further requires all foreign affairs agencies to take steps in the next 100 days to rescind Trump-era directives, orders, regulations, policies, or guidance that may be inconsistent with the memorandum. There were many. The Presidential Memorandum also ordered the administration to restore LGBTQIcommitments torefugees and asylum seekers and expedite refugee resettlement for the most at-risk LGBTQI refugees. He ordered U.S. embassy direct referrals to the resettlement program for LGBTQI individuals facing severe persecution. A parallel Executive Order returns U.S. refugee admissions to historic levels, expedites the resettlement process, and calls on the State Department to “enhance access to the refugee program for people who are more vulnerable to persecution, including women, children, and other individuals who are at risk of persecution related to their gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation.” It also creates a process to recognize the unmarried same-sex partners of refugees to allow joint resettlement.Secretary Blinken addressed the UN Human Rights Council for the first time since the Trump Administration decided to undermine it rather than trying to fix it. The Council has many obvious flaws, but it is an essential institution, and it has provided important leadership on LGBTQI rights. Speaking with both humility and determination, Blinken announced that the United States would once again seek election to the Council – and that we would use our seat at the table to fix its more obvious delinquencies, while supporting its work to address racial discrimination, gender equality and the rights of LGBTQI and other minority communities. GLOBAL LGBTI DEVELOPMENTS ü Watch short videos of global advocates welcoming the inauguration of the Biden-Harris Administration. ü Watch as global activists reflect on the Black Lives Matter Movement in an international tribute to Black History Month.In recent good news…
- After years of advocacy, the Parliament in Montenegro passed a partnership law, making it the first non-EU European country to recognize same-sex couples’ ights.
- Building on Costa Rica’s success securing marriage equality, Panama has launched a similar campaign to secure the freedom to marry called Si Acepto.
- The government of South Africa is reviewing its regulations for changing gender on identity documents. The Department of Home Affairs recently issued a draft Identity Management Policy for public review that would provide important avenues for transgender, intersex and non-binary South Africans.
- The European Union issued its first ever five-year LGBTQI Equality Strategy, which identifies actions needed by member states to address inequalities, discrimination, safety and inclusivity of LGBTQI communities in Europe.
- Germany issued a new LGBTI inclusion strategy, pledging that “German foreign policy and development cooperation will provide structurally sustainable support to the LGBTI human rights work undertaken by civil society, with particular attention to specific vulnerabilities and multiple discrimination."
In bad news…
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2020 Election
The Council calls on Pesident Biden and Congress to restore America's commitment to human rights for all.
Additional Transition Papers from Member and Allied Organizations
Open Letter to Secretary Pompeo
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