Story at a glance
- The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved the Global Respect Act, which takes a hardline stance in condemning human rights abuses against LGBTQ+ people abroad.
- Under the bill, visas would be denied to or taken away from foreign individuals who have committed or have been complicit in human rights abuses against LGBTQ+ people overseas.
- At least 68 countries have laws criminalizing same-sex relations between consenting adults.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill cracking down on human rights abuses against LGBTQ+ people in other countries, pledging to impose sanctions on foreign individuals involved in anti-LGBTQ+ harassment or attacks that have taken place abroad.
The Global Respect Act, introduced by Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), who is gay, was approved in a 227-206 vote on a bipartisan basis.
“And with BIPARTISAN support, the #GlobalRespectAct just passed the House, sending a strong message around the world that every member of the #LGBTQI community deserves to live with dignity and free from violence, unlawful detention, torture, and all forms of brutality,” Cicilline, who also co-chairs the House LGBTQ Equality Caucus, wrote on Twitter shortly after the vote.
Under the bill, visas would be denied to (or revoked from) people who have committed or have been complicit in human rights abuses against LGBTQ+ people abroad, according to text of the bill. The names of those individuals would be added to a list that is “periodically” updated, and sanctions would be applied “accordingly.”
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The State Department under the bill would also be tasked with assigning at least one senior officer to track violence and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in foreign countries.
At least 68 countries have laws criminalizing consensual same-sex relations, according to Human Rights Watch, a non-governmental organization. Many have additional policies in place that target LGBTQ+ individuals, who are in many cases subject to arbitrary arrest, torture and sexual abuse.
“Tragically, thousands of LGBTQ individuals are subjected to attack, harassment, arrest and murder every year, suffering under state-sanctioned discrimination and an alarming surge of violence,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday in a statement following the vote. “Yet, those responsible all too often act with impunity, never facing consequences for their crimes.”
“The Global Respect Act will help counter that injustice, barring offenders from entering the United States, gathering new data on anti-LGBTQ human rights violations and holding perpetrators accountable, including through additional sanctions,” she said.
Pelosi called on the Senate to join the House in approving the Global Respect Act, as well as the House-passed Equality Act, which would expand existing civil rights laws to expressly outlaw discrimination based on an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
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