JUST IN: Sec. Of State Antony Blinken Delivers Remarks At Convening Of Global LGBTQ+ Leaders

3 months ago

On Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered remarks on LGBTQ+ rights during a convening of leaders.

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Transcript

00:00Thank you for joining us, and let's get to work.

00:10Thank you, everyone.

00:14Good afternoon.

00:17Please have a seat.

00:20First, let me say to my friend, Catherine Tai, welcome, welcome.

00:23Thank you, Catherine, for being here with us today.

00:25We're all looking forward to hearing from you.

00:27Now, I'm usually the one who gets called out by Jessica,

00:32so this was a great moment to actually get to return the favor.

00:38But I have to tell you, and I think pretty much everyone in this room knows it,

00:44we have an extraordinary force of nature in Jessica leading our efforts around the world.

00:50I couldn't be more grateful for it.

00:52The difference that she and her team are making every day in ways big and small is incredibly powerful,

00:59and I get a chance to see that up close,

01:02and you'll be hearing more about that through the course of this afternoon.

01:06But, Jessica, to you, to the entire team, thank you, thank you, thank you.

01:10Thank you.

01:21And for so many in this room, I could say the same thing,

01:25because this is an extraordinary community of people who are working every day,

01:30not just on this day, but every day, to make a real difference.

01:35On his first day in office, and you heard the letter from the president,

01:40but on his very first day in office, President Biden issued an executive order stating that,

01:45and I quote, all human beings should be treated with respect and dignity

01:50and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love.

01:58It's as simple as that.

02:01LGBTQI plus rights are human rights,

02:05and our government has a responsibility to defend them, to promote them here and everywhere.

02:15Upholding these rights is crucial to safeguarding and accelerating our renewal at home.

02:22Our ability to stand up for human rights and democracy internationally is also tied directly

02:28to whether we're strong on these fronts here in our own country.

02:31So much of what we do, we see the connections between what we're doing and how we're doing at home,

02:37what we're doing and how we're doing abroad.

02:40And this is no different.

02:43It's also profoundly in our national interest and vital to our national security,

02:47which gets us to what Jessica shared with you earlier, really the focus that we're bringing today.

02:53But it's in our national security interest to stand up for LGBTI plus persons around the world.

03:01When nations came together 75 years ago,

03:04they affirmed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights respect for the equal

03:09and inalienable rights of all members of the human family.

03:13That's the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.

03:18And we see that here at the State Department every single day.

03:22Countries that respect the rights of every individual tend to be more stable, more healthy,

03:28more democratic, more prosperous.

03:32Those that discriminate against LGBTI plus persons tend to be less free and tend to be less equal.

03:40The correlation is as clear as day.

03:43Sixty-four countries currently criminalize consensual sex, same-sex conduct between adults.

03:49In 11 of them, having same-sex relations is punishable by death.

03:55Last year, you all know this, Uganda enacted a law further criminalizing consensual same-sex conduct

04:01with penalties that included imprisonment, including life imprisonment.

04:08People convicted of so-called aggravated homosexuality face the death penalty.

04:15In Hungary, the government is smearing, scapegoating, stigmatizing LGBTI plus persons,

04:23vilifying them with degrading labels, denying them equal rights, normalizing violence against them.

04:31Two months ago, Iraq's parliament passed legislation that punishes same-sex relations with up to 15 years in prison.

04:40Anyone who engages in so-called promotion of homosexuality can be imprisoned for 10 years.

04:47In Indonesia, the parliament passed a new criminal code banning extramarital sex.

04:52In a nation where same-sex couples cannot marry, these laws effectively make all same-sex conduct illegal

05:00and they undermine privacy for all Indonesians.

05:04Since 2021, the State Department has helped lead a whole-of-U.S. government effort

05:09to ensure that every person, everywhere, can live free from violence and discrimination

05:15with their equal rights respected.

05:18We're defending and promoting LGBTI plus rights around the world, and we're doing it in several key ways,

05:23and that's what I wanted to spend a few minutes highlighting for you today.

05:27First, we're applying diplomatic pressure to urge governments to reverse discriminatory laws and practices.

05:36Seven nations have decriminalized consensual same-sex conduct over the past two years.

05:42Greece, Liechtenstein, Thailand voted to legalize marriage equality this year.

05:47More countries are banning so-called conversion therapy.

05:52Now, first and foremost, these achievements are possible because of incredibly courageous

05:57human rights defenders and government partners on the ground.

06:01But I believe America's support is indispensable.

06:06When we engage, sometimes publicly, sometimes privately, sometimes both,

06:12when we share our own knowledge and experience, we can and we do achieve change.

06:21Second, where human rights abuses are carried out against LGBTI plus persons,

06:26we hold the perpetrators accountable.

06:29When Uganda enacted its Anti-Homosexuality Act, we redirected U.S. government assistance

06:34so that it doesn't go to those carrying out this abusive policy, while at the same time increasing aid

06:40to Ugandan people who need it more than ever before in the LGBTI plus community.

06:46We sanctioned Ugandan officials who are involved in gross human rights violations.

06:50We ended Uganda's eligibility for beneficial trade status under the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act

06:55until it repeals the legislation and addresses its human rights situation.

07:03We remain committed to partnering with the people of Uganda, as we've done for years

07:07with investments in improving health care and education, expanding economic opportunity,

07:12strengthening accountability, and the rule of law.

07:16We'll make sure that our resources continue to lift up the Ugandan people, not enable their repression.

07:23Third, we're increasing protections for vulnerable LGBTI plus persons,

07:28and we're doing that again around the world.

07:31We've expanded access here in the United States to the refugee admissions program.

07:36We've got new options, like NGO referrals and sponsorship by individuals and organizations.

07:42And we're also providing financial and settlement support.

07:45We've increased access to mental and physical health services for refugees,

07:50including from the LGBTI plus community.

07:52We've strengthened training for refugees and asylum officers to better serve those communities.

07:58Precisely at a time when this community is increasingly vulnerable, it's important, urgent,

08:06that we step up to provide the support, the help, the assistance that we can,

08:11and to do that in a very deliberate way.

08:14We're also strongly supporting LGBTI plus human rights organizations,

08:18and we're doing it on the ground, where every single day these organizations are acting at tremendous risk

08:25and showing through their actions what can actually be accomplished.

08:30We're proud to administer the Global Equality Fund.

08:33This provides essential aid to the work of groups in more than 100 countries around the world.

08:39Finally, we're doubling down on our efforts to bring LGBTI plus rights

08:45and perspectives to the fore in multilateral and regional organizations.

08:51For example, the UN Human Rights Council, we brought our strong support to the first ever UN resolution

08:58to condemn and combat discrimination and violence against intersex persons.

09:03Forty-seven countries from every part of the world actually co-sponsored the resolution.

09:08The Council adopted it in April without a single no vote.

09:13That result is actually the product of Roll Up Your Sleeves diplomacy that our team engaged in in Geneva,

09:23and I'm very proud that we got it.

09:25Today, I'm announcing that the United States is updating our own interpretation

09:29of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

09:34This is one of the key treaties committing nations to upholding universal rights.

09:38That means that starting from now, the United States considers sexual orientation

09:43and gender identity as covered by this treaty.

09:47In our regular reporting to the Council on Human Rights,

09:58we will continue to include incidents of discrimination or abuse committed against LGBTI plus persons

10:05now with the clear framework of this well-supported interpretation.

10:11That will further empower our efforts.

10:15We've come a long way here at home and in our advocacy for rights around the world.

10:25But you heard it from Jessica.

10:27You know it.

10:28You live it every day.

10:30We also continue to face a long road ahead.

10:35This community knows better than most, maybe better than anyone.

10:40Change doesn't happen overnight.

10:42We don't expect attitudes and laws to transform in one fell swoop everywhere.

10:48But here's what we do know.

10:51Here's what you know better than anyone.

10:54Our voice, our partnership, our experience can help make a difference,

11:02can help accelerate change, can literally help to save lives.

11:08That's why I'm so proud of the work that we do, proud of the work that you do.

11:14That's why I'm grateful that all of you are here today, this afternoon,

11:18for what I think is an important moment, an important conversation,

11:23because ultimately any movement is only as strong as the people who make it up.

11:31That's all of you and so many others that you work with and represent.

11:37And as I'm looking around this room and knowing folks who are also tuning in,

11:45and as I look around the world and get to hear from so many people that I meet

11:50with the extraordinary privilege of helping to represent the country around the world,

11:53what I see above all else is strength, resilience, determination.

12:01From our diplomatic colleagues who know that none of this gets done alone,

12:06from our State Department team, many of whom are with us today,

12:10whose members show almost superhuman stamina in their own advocacy,

12:15leaders from the private sector, from academia, from international organizations

12:19who are teaming up with us to deliver a better future,

12:25and especially from the activists on the front lines who are indispensable

12:31to the safety and security of LGBTIQ persons around the world

12:36and, you know, undertake their work at extraordinary personal risk.

12:43Each of you is an inspiration. Each of you is a motivation.

12:49Each of you in so many ways is our conscience.

12:54Activists, all of our civil society partners, you know how much work remains

13:00to achieve full equality and full rights.

13:03But our promise is this. We will be with you every step of the way.

13:10We'll persevere with you. We'll listen to you. We'll learn from you.

13:16We'll help resource and support your fight.

13:21And we'll bring our strength together with yours so that finally, together,

13:27we can build a world where all people are genuinely free,

13:31free to be who they are, free to love who they love.

13:36Thank you, and have a great afternoon.

13:39Thank you.

JUST IN: Sec. Of State Antony Blinken Delivers Remarks At Convening Of Global LGBTQ+ Leaders

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