President Joe Biden has signed a historic presidential memorandum pledging to support LGBTQ rights worldwide.
It builds upon a 2011 directive issued when Biden was serving as Vice President: work that was largely abandoned during the Trump years.
Biden announced the memo during a speech at the State Department yesterday in which he outlined U.S. Foreign Policy going forward and pledged to rebuild alliances abroad.
“To further repair our moral leadership, I’m also issuing a presidential memo to agencies to reinvigorate our leadership on the LGBTQI issues and do it internationally,” he said.
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“We’ll ensure diplomacy and foreign assistance are working to promote the rights of those individuals, included by combating criminalization and protecting LGBTQ refugees and asylum-seekers.”
The memo directs executive departments and U.S. agencies working abroad “promote and protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons everywhere.”
The memo states, “All human beings should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear no matter who they are or whom they love.
“Around the globe, including here at home, brave lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) activists are fighting for equal protection under the law, freedom from violence, and recognition of their fundamental human rights.
“The United States belongs at the forefront of this struggle — speaking out and standing strong for our most dearly held values. It shall be the policy of the United States to pursue an end to violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics, and to lead by the power of our example in the cause of advancing the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons around the world.”
Although presidential memoranda are often considered a symbolic gesture, this one suggests tangible consequences for countries that commit human rights abuses against LGBTQ people. It says anti-LGBTQ actions undertaken by countries will be noted when the U.S. considers who benefits – and to how much – via its Foreign Assistance Act.
It also says it will respond to such human rights abuses against LGBTQ people using “the full range of diplomatic and assistance tools and, as appropriate, financial sanctions, visa restrictions, and other actions.”
It goes on to pledge that federal agents dealing with LGBTQ refugees fleeing from persecution are appropriately trained to deal with their unique needs. It pledges the, “Departments of State and Homeland Security shall enhance their ongoing efforts to ensure that LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers have equal access to protection and assistance, particularly in countries of first asylum.”
It ends by saying that agencies working abroad will also rescind any directives made during the Trump era that may contravene this memo.
Related: President Biden signs historic LGBTQ executive order on first day in office
On his first day in office, Biden signed an Executive Order to ensure federal employers do not discriminate against LGBTQ employees. He also reversed Trump’s military ban.
He has previously pledged to sign an Equality Act into law in his first 100 days in office, further cementing LGBTQ rights across the U.S.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said yesterday the President “stands by” that pledge, but said Congress would need to take action first.
Related: Biden’s team says landmark LGBTQ rights legislation could take more than 100 days to pass
An Equality Act bill has repeatedly introduced in Congress since 2015 but has not advanced through the Senate (controlled by Republicans during the Trump years). With Democrats now controlling the Senate, such a bill is expected to become law.
However, the ongoing emergency response to the covid pandemic, and Donald Trump’s impeachment hearing, may take priority and has raised a question mark over whether the Equality Act will be introduced within the first 100 days of Biden’s presidency.
You can watch the whole of President Biden’s speech at the State Department below (he announces the LGBTQ memo from the 11.52 mark).
Cam
Biden is wasting no time cleaning out the bigoted stink of the Trump administrations and Republicans. It will be interesting to see if countries like Poland, Hungary, and mid-east or African countries that need aid back off on the anti-LGBTQ bigotry since there seems to be a threat to rethink aid to them if they come after us.
basils_Herald
Let’s hope! I’m glad that he is both taking action himself and building jr dems up so they can fight when it’s their turn.
HenryCameron
February 2019
The Trump administration is launching a global campaign to end the criminalization of homosexuality in dozens of nations where it’s still illegal to be gay, U.S. officials tell NBC News, a bid aimed in part at denouncing Iran over its human rights record.
U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, the highest-profile openly gay person in the Trump administration, is leading the effort, which kicks off Tuesday evening in Berlin. The U.S. embassy is flying in LGBT activists from across Europe for a strategy dinner to plan to push for decriminalization in places that still outlaw homosexuality — mostly concentrated in the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean.
It is concerning that, in the 21st century, some 70 countries continue to have laws that criminalize LGBTI status or conduct, said a U.S. official involved in organizing the event.
September 2019, Trump told the UN: We stand in solidarity with LGBTQ people who live in countries that punish, jail or execute individuals based upon sexual orientation.
Cam
@HenryCameron
Except Trump didn’t do anything, he supported Poland’s leader who is attacking LGBTQ people, and stated he would appoint anti-LGBTQ judges to overturn recent rulings….and he did.
But it’s adorable you trolls keep reusing the same worn out old B.S. even after getting crushed multiple times on here.
GayEGO
You nailed it Cam!
Monkey1
Nice gesture, but like the article says, it’s largely symbolic. Just like his executive orders…nice, but they’re not laws so ultimately all this is for show. I want to see some real laws be championed by him.
Cam
@Monkey1
Nice try Roy Ajax’s new screename. You were all over all of the Trump threads talking about how he was the most Pro-LGBTQ president every because he appointed Richard Grenell to a job. THAT was symbolic.
Now Biden is actually putting pressure on other countries AND has already lifted the restrictions on LGBT people Trump tried to reinstate in the military and here you are playing the troll game, trying to pretend you’re coming at this from a soft direction.
You are obvious, your trolling is sad, and ya boring.
Monkey1
Cam, you have lost the plot. What are you talking about because I have no idea who Roy Ajax is but I saw that you accused others of being him also, what is going on? Plus the restrictions he’s lifted are, as I wrote, by executive order only, not by law.
Cam
@Monkey1
Awww, it’s cute when the troll pretends not to know what was said, and then tries to defend against what was said. One more time, your troll game is sad and boring.
But what should I expect? The same right wing troll account that continually praised Trump as pro-LGBTQ because he appointed Richard Grenell all while screening trans people out of the military and attacking our rights, wants to attack Biden for using executive orders to help us.
You aren’t fooling anyone no matter what screename you’re under troll.
Doug
Finally. Gay people in Russia have been tortured and killed for years now and no one has done much of anything. Poland, Indonesia, Egypt, Nigeria are now pretty much following suit. I hope this means gay refugees will finally be allowed into the U.S.
Openminded
I would like to see LGBTQ people treated fairly across the globe also. I do not think simply allowing them to come to the US as refugees is the answer though. The US needs to help them help themselves in their home countries by being the muscle behind their push for better rights at home. How many gays in America would be happier moving to a foreign country just to get better protections? I feel like everyone would be happier in their home country if they were treated equally. A spin on this same issue is that much fewer Mexican immigrants would be wanting to cross the border if life in their own country was better. We should be helping them build a better homeland, IMO, instead of simply saying “Come to America, it will be better”. Just my opinion and you know what they say about opinions.
cuteguy
We need to pack the Supreme Court so we don’t lose our basic rights as human bc we are lgbt. Trump and that ugly turtle McConnell already packed the courts these last four years. Time to make it truly fair and balanced, and I mean it literally and the what Faux News used to use as a fake ass slogan
chappy51
Thank you Mr President!