The LGBT Equality Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives convened a briefing in September to review global trends in hate crime violence directed at LGBT communities worldwide.  Rep. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Barney Frank sponsored the briefing, with House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Howard Berman and ranking Republican Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen co-sponsoring in recognition of the global impact of the discussion. 

The Chair of the Council for Global Equality, Mark Bromley, opened the briefing by noting that in the State Department's own annual Human Rights Report, released in March of this year, U.S. embassies listed human rights concerns relating to sexual orientation and gender identity in more than 100 countries.  Many of the violations involved extreme violence, and too often local police were either complicit or directly involved in the abuse.  The evidence is also beginning to show that LGBT-related attacks tend to be more violent than other categories of hate crimes, and that they are often sexualized, in what may be a perverse attempt to "punish" the victim for transgressing sexual or gender norms.  (Click here to read a summary of the LGBT abuses uncovered by the State Department in this year's human rights report, and click here to read the Council's testimony at the briefing.) 

At the Caucus briefing, Human Rights First released a new report tracking a rise in LGBT hate crimes in both Western and Eastern Europe, as well as in the United States and Canada. Unfortunately, in the face of this escalating violence, the United States continues to stand on the diplomatic sidelines, with the State Department declining to name these violations within multilateral human rights discussions.  (Click here to read our press release criticizing the lapse in U.S. leadership, and click here to view the "2008 Hate Crime Survey" from Human Rights First.) 

Congress also heard from the FBI on how they track LGBT hate crimes data in the United States, and from the Anti-Defamation League about efforts to strengthen the FBI's data collection work.  Focusing on LGBT hate crimes in the United States, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force discussed the patchwork of state and local laws that respond to the crimes, while highlighting violence against transgender people.  The Human Rights Campaign concluded by discussing ongoing efforts to pass federal legislation to ensure the federal government finally has the authority, and the financial resources, to investigate and prosecute LGBT hate crimes when local authorities are unable or unwilling to do so. 

The Council for Global Equality participated in two additional Congressional briefings before the LGBT Equality Caucus earlier in the summer.  One focused on global trends in human rights abuses impacting LGBT communities.  Another explored opportunities to extend domestic partnership benefits to federal government employees, including Foreign Service Officers in the State Department.  (Click here to read about the global human rights briefing, and click here to read about the domestic partnership discussion.)

Also in September, the U.S. Senate held the first-ever hearings focusing exclusively on domestic partnership benefits for federal employees in the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.  The discussions included recognition of the unique partnership needs within U.S. foreign affairs agencies.  (Click here to read the Human Rights Campaign's coverage of the hearings.) 

The Council's staff organized three presentations at Out & Equal's 2008 Workplace Summit in Austin, TX in September.  The Summit, an annual gathering of workplace advocates, was attended this year by more than two thousand individuals representing 370 corporations.  Many of the corporations have significant global reach and large international workforces and were eager to discuss the challenges they face in promoting workplace equality in their overseas operations.

On the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Amb.  Michael Guest, a Senior Advisor to the Council, offered one of the Summit's keynote addresses.  He used the memorial of that tragic anniversary to explore our country's founding values, and how those same values that compel us to challenge global terrorism should also compel us to promote full equality in the United States and abroad. Julie Dorf, also a Senior Advisor to the Council, led an international panel that included IBM and Stonewall, a leading LGBT advocacy organization in the United Kingdom. Mark Bromley joined a group of global human rights advocates from the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) to highlight legal campaigns for equality in the United States and abroad.  (Click here to read a summary of the Out & Equal conference.) 

Sen. Obama's recent response to a question from the Philadelphia Gay News sets out a hopeful vision for an inclusive U.S. foreign policy. 

Philadelphia Gay News: "President Reagan, President Bush and President Clinton, when meeting world leaders, have raised human-rights questions. Amnesty International has documented countries that imprison, torture and kill gay men, some of which are very close U.S. allies. Would you be willing to raise that question when meeting with those leaders?"

Sen. Obama: "I think that the treatment of gays, lesbians and transgender persons is part of this broader human-rights discussion. I think it is not acceptable that we would in any way carve out exceptions for our broader human-rights advocacy to exclude violations of human rights based on sexual orientation. I think that has to be part and parcel of any conversations we have about human rights."

Click here to see the entire interview. The Council for Global Equality cannot and does not endorse candidates for public office. We do encourage all public office holders to stand for global equality as a reflection of core American values.

This December 10 is UN "Human Rights Day," and this year the day marks the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

With Eleanor Roosevelt's leadership, the United Nations gave birth sixty years ago to the modern human rights movement with the adoption of what is still considered the founding human rights document of our time.Its focus on the dignity and individual rights of all human beings, and the obligations of states and the world community to protect those rights, was revolutionary. As we commemorate the UDHR this year, and look back on the many years of U.S. leadership on human rights within the halls of the United Nations, it is important to underscore the central tenet of the UDHR by recognizing that LGBT communities share equally in those rights. 

Last year the UN Secretary-General announced a year-long celebration leading up to the 60th anniversary, with the theme: "Dignity and Justice for all of us."  Look for more information from the Council for Global Equality on ways to help us celebrate the anniversary of the UDHR and its promise of justice and dignity for LGBT communities around the globe.