The Foreign Service Journal, June 2015

30 JUNE 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Supporting Our New Special Envoy The United States has already taken significant steps to address anti-LGBT violence and discrimination worldwide, and there is a history of bipartisan support in Congress for diplomatic efforts to protect the international LGBT com- munity. In 2010, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution condemning anti-gay legislation and encouraging the Secretary of State to closely monitor anti-LGBT human rights abuses and to work to repeal egregious laws. Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry have been quick to condemn hate-motivated attacks, and they have led multilateral efforts to codify international recognition of rights for LGBT persons. With robust U.S. backing, last September the United Nations Human Rights Council approved a resolution calling for an end to violence and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development financially support foreign gay and trans rights organizations, and are also empowering diplomatic missions, using the Bureau of Democ- racy, Human Rights and Labor’s small grants program, to sup- port LGBT rights-promotion initiatives tailored to local contexts. Certainly, Sec. Kerry’s February appointment of Randy Berry as the first-ever Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBT Persons in February is a significant diplomatic achieve- ment, and it is an important sign of the strong U.S. commit- ment to LGBT rights. The position creates a new realm of opportunity for protecting this vulnerable community, by raising global awareness about its plight, and will develop and coordinate U.S. rapid-response mechanisms to address new threats. Berry will also amplify the effect of the State Depart- ment’s work by raising additional funds to support LGBT rights promotion initiatives through public-private partnerships. But as important as the creation of the position is to advancing a comprehensive LGBT rights-promotion strategy, the special representative will need the support of the entire diplomatic service, especially from frontline officers. Every bilateral relationship has its own nuances, and opportunities for engagement on LGBT issues differ from post to post. Yet there are low-cost options that every mission can immediately pursue, not just to fulfill its obligation to monitor and report on the status of gay rights, but to protect the LGBT population from the violence and discrimination that plague it. Offering Support in Hostile Anti-LGBT Environments Even in country contexts where public U.S. advocacy for LGBT rights could provoke a political backlash, there are opportunities for engagement. U.S. embassies can work behind the scenes to promote LGBT issues within the broader civil society context. Embassies can encourage existing civil society partners to initiate programming or to speak publicly in sup- port of tolerance and nonviolence. Finding and amplifying powerful religious or cultural voices that support protections for the LGBT community could begin to change local attitudes Richmond Blake visits Caquiaviri, Bolivia, in 2013 to meet with female entrepreneurs who formed a sewing microenterprise with the support of the Office of Global Women’s Issues. The 18-month project, “Strengthening Sewing Microenterprises to Increase Incomes for Indigenous Women in Rural Bolivia,” created eight sewing cooperatives to provide economic opportunity for more than 80 women in the La Paz department community. COURTESYOFRICHMONDBLAKE