Shaheen Introduces Legislation to Impose Sanctions on Foreign Individuals Responsible for Violence Against the LGBT Community
(Washington,
DC) –U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), along with Senators Ed Markey
(D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR)
and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), has introduced the Global Respect Act,
legislation that would impose sanctions on foreign individuals
responsible for human rights violations against lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender (LGBT) individuals abroad. Similar legislation has been
introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. David Cicilline
(D-RI-1) in response to a United Nations report that found thousands of
incidents of physical violence are committed against LGBT individuals
each year.
“While
we’ve seen tremendous progress towards equality in the United States,
the fact remains that the LGBT community is still under threat both here
at home and around the world,” said Senator Shaheen. “No
one should live in fear of physical violence or oppression because of
their sexual orientation or sexual identity. The Global Respect Act
would send a strong message to the international community and a stern
warning to those who persecute LGBT individuals that the United States
will continue to defend human rights.”
"For
the United States to hold true to our commitment to defending the human
rights of all people around the world, we must stand with the LGBT
community in their struggle for recognition and equality everywhere,” said Senator Markey. “With
the rights of the LGBT community under attack around the globe, we must
stand hand-in-hand with them in the struggle to ensure equality for all
people around the globe."
“LGBT rights are core human rights,” Senator Wyden said. “This
bill sends the message that America will hold individuals responsible
if they persecute people on the basis of who they love or how they
identify. The United States needs to lead by example and ensure that
LGBT rights remain an important part of U.S. policy both at home and
abroad.”
There
are currently 75 countries that criminalize consensual same-sex
relations, and in ten countries consensual same-sex relations are even
punishable by death. Several countries, including Russia, have newly
instituted or proposed laws outlawing “LGBT propaganda,” a vague term
that has been interpreted to mean any public statement in support of
LGBT rights or LGBT individuals. The Global Respect Act would:
- Require the Executive Branch to biannually send Congress a list of foreign persons responsible for, complicit in, or who have incited extrajudicial killing, torture, or other gross violations of human rights based on sexual orientation or gender identity;
- Deny or revoke visas to individuals placed on the list;
- Require the annual State Department Report on Human Rights to include a section on LGBT international human rights, as well as an annual report to Congress on the status of the law’s effectiveness; and
