FACT SHEET: attempting to Advance the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Persons Globally

“The battle to end discrimination against lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, and transgender people is really a worldwide challenge, plus one this is certainly main towards the United States’ dedication to advertising peoples legal rights.”

President Obama, December 6, 2011

Since using workplace, President Obama has demonstrated that their vision for a brighter future includes greater equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) People in the us. The President and also this management focus on eliminating obstacles to equality, fighting discrimination predicated on sexual orientation and sex identity, and engaging LGBT communities in the united states. The Administration’s commitment to LGBT liberties doesn’t take a look at our edges, since the President explained in the us in September of the 12 months as he stated: “no country should reject individuals their liberties due to whom they love, and that’s why we should remain true when it comes to legal rights of gays and lesbians every-where.”

Today, President Obama issued a presidential memorandum that directs all federal agencies involved abroad to ensure U.S. diplomacy and foreign support promote and protect the individual legal rights of LGBT individuals. Underneath the federal government, agencies have previously started action that is taking market the essential individual liberties of LGBT individuals every where. And from now on, after an interagency procedure coordinated by the nationwide safety Staff, this memorandum directs the first-ever U.S. federal government strategy focused on fighting peoples legal rights abuses against LGBT people abroad. Today’s memorandum relates to the Departments of State, the Treasury, Defense, Justice, Agriculture, Commerce, health insurance and Human solutions, Homeland safety, the usa Agency for Global developing (USAID), the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the free live webcam sex Export-Import Bank, the usa Trade Representative, and such other agencies because the President may designate.

The memorandum directs agencies to:

• Combat the criminalization of LGBT status or conduct abroad. • Safeguard vulnerable LGBT refugees and asylum seekers. • Leverage international assistance to protect human being legal rights and advance nondiscrimination. • Ensure swift and meaningful U.S. responses to individual liberties abuses of LGBT persons abroad. • Engage Overseas Organizations when you look at the combat LGBT discrimination. • Report on progress.

Also before today’s memo, U.S. agencies have already been trying to protect and market the legal rights of LBGT persons all over the world. Since January 2009, Secretary Clinton has directed the Department of State to champion a human that is comprehensive agenda—one that features the security of LGBT individuals.

The State Department is around the world

• Engaging bilaterally and regionally together with U.S. embassies, civil culture, and multilateral agencies to encourage nations to repeal or reform guidelines that criminalize LGBT conduct or status.

• Reinforcing the human being liberties of LGBT individuals in multilateral fora, like the UN Human Rights Council. In June 2011, the usa joined Southern Africa and a group that is cross-regional of in passing the first-ever UN Human Rights Council quality in the individual rights of LGBT people.

• Promoting human being rights globally. U.S. embassies are declaring the United States’ help for the individual legal rights of LGBT individuals through revolutionary general public diplomacy. Ambassadors and embassies have actually hosted discussions that are public personal roundtables, published op-eds and supported Pride occasions.

• Supporting LGBT peoples liberties defenders and civil culture teams, with programmatic and economic help, including efforts to report individual legal rights violations; build advocacy abilities; offer advocates with appropriate representation; and, when needed, moving help.

• Reporting in the conditions of individual liberties of LGBT individuals in every one of its yearly, country-specific Human Rights Reports.

• Strengthening the Department’s workers and policies that are consular. The Secretary stretched the product range of lawfully available advantages and allowances to same-sex domestic lovers of international solution staff serving abroad. America also incorporated sex identity into federal employment that is equal policies this year.