Biden signs foreign policy memo putting U.S. at 'forefront' of global LGBTQ rights
Source: NBC
The president called on embassies and agencies “to lead by the power of our example.”
Feb. 5, 2021, 9:52 AM EST
By Dan Avery
President Joe Biden has issued a historic memorandum committing the United States to promoting LGBTQ rights on the international stage.
Released to the public Thursday evening, the Memorandum on Advancing the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Persons Around the World directs American agencies operating abroad “to ensure that United States diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons.”
It calls for agencies to combat criminalization of LGBTQ identity or conduct, protect LGBTQ refugees and asylum-seekers, address human rights abuses affecting LGBTQ people and work with like-minded nations and international organizations to combat discrimination. There are approximately 70 countries around the world that currently have laws criminalizing same-sex relations between consenting adults, according to the Human Rights Watch.
Barack Obama issued the first presidential memorandum directing U.S. agencies abroad to promote LGBTQ rights globally in 2011. Biden indicated his order “builds upon that historic legacy.”
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/biden-signs-foreign-policy-memo-putting-u-s-forefront-global-n1256848
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