Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “International Human Rights Defense Act of 2025”.
International Human Rights Defense Act of 2025
A BILL
To establish in the Department of State a Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ People, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Findings
Congress makes the following findings:
Around the world, LGBTQI+ people face criminalization, violence, discrimination, and stigma based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics.
Sixty-four countries have national laws that criminalize same-sex relations and at least 42 United Nations member states have legal barriers for freedom of expression on issues related to sexual and gender diversity. That is equal to roughly 35 percent of United Nations member states.
Eleven countries have jurisdictions in which the death penalty can be imposed for private, consensual, same-sex sexual activity.
Despite recent progress made toward decriminalization, marriage equality, and legal gender recognition, several countries have introduced anti-LGBTQI+ legislation that would further criminalize or stigmatize LGBTQI+ people. This includes a draconian bill under review in Ghana that would outlaw LGBTQI+ relationships and identities, but also advocacy on behalf of the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons.
Human Rights Watch and other human rights organizations have documented the use of the forensically discredited practice of forced anal exams to try to substantiate allegations of same-sex sexual activity. This humiliating practice is typically conducted by law enforcement officials working in tandem with medical personnel. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture has described forced anal examinations as a form of torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a report in 2015 calling for governments to ban the practice.
Around the world, freedom of association is increasingly under attack, with the passage and enforcement of laws that prevent or revoke the registration of nongovernmental organizations, particularly those working to advance and defend the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons.
Extreme violence and insecurity in Latin America has driven LGBTQI+ people to flee their countries of origin to the United States for protection. Yes, LGBTQI+ asylum seekers are routinely denied entry and face additional violence, and many have been returned to face persecution in their home countries or in third countries that are not safe.
Laws, policies, and practices that criminalize and stigmatize LGBTQI+ people deter individuals and communities from seeking health care. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men and transgender people are particularly vulnerable to discrimination and exclusion in health care settings, thereby increasing the risk of HIV transmission. Decriminalization and stigma reduction are necessary to achieve global targets for epidemic control of HIV.
The Trans Murder Monitoring Project, which monitors homicides of transgender individuals, documented at least 350 trans and gender-diverse people killed between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024. Of these cases, 73 percent of murders occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean, with 30 percent of the total occurring in Brazil.
Intersex people are subject to medically unnecessary surgeries, often without prior and informed consent, leading to lifelong medical complications and increased mistrust of health care providers. Intersex people experience widespread discrimination and lack of understanding about their medical needs.
Violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity (including gender expression), and sex characteristics are documented in the Department of State’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The report covering 2023 continues to show a clear pattern of human rights violations or abuses in every region of the world based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics. These violations or abuses include murder, rape, torture, death threats, extortion, and imprisonment, as well as loss of employment, housing, access to health care, and other forms of societal stigma and discrimination. The reports further document LGBTQI+-specific restrictions on basic freedoms of assembly, press, and speech in every region of the world.
On December 6, 2011, President Barack Obama released the “Presidential Memorandum—International Initiatives to Advance the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons”. The memorandum directed all Federal agencies engaged abroad to ensure that United States diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBTI+ persons.
On February 4, 2021, President Joe Biden issued a similar memorandum, the “Memorandum on Advancing the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Persons Around the World”, to promote and protect the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons and establish that it is the “policy of the United States to pursue an end to violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics, and to lead by the power of our example in the cause of advancing the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons around the world”.
On February 23, 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry appointed senior diplomat Randy Berry as the Department of State’s first-ever Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons. No person was named to that position during the Trump Administration.
On June 25, 2021, President Joe Biden announced the appointment of Jessica Stern to serve as the United States Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons. She joined the Department of State on September 27, 2021.
On June 30, 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution cosponsored by the United States that established an Independent Expert on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity to help monitor and track discrimination and violence experienced by LGBTQI+ persons around the world.
In May 2020, the United Nations Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity released a report on so-called “conversion therapy”, which is an umbrella term used to describe interventions based on a belief that a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity can and should be changed. The report concluded that such practices represent significant violations of rights to personal autonomy, health, and free expression and are “by their very nature degrading, inhuman and cruel and create a significant risk of torture”. The Independent Expert noted “the psychological pain and suffering inflicted by practices of “conversion therapy” are deep and long-lasting and often exacerbate the risk of suicide,” and called for a global ban on conversion therapy.
Sec. 3 Statement of policy
It is the policy of the United States—
to take effective action to prevent and respond to discrimination and violence against all people on any basis internationally, including sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics, and that human rights policy includes attention to criminalization, violence, and other discrimination against LGBTQI+ people;
to systematically integrate and coordinate into United States foreign policy efforts to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally;
to support and build local capacity in countries around the world, including of governments at all levels and nongovernmental organizations, to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally;
to consult, cooperate, coordinate, and collaborate with a wide variety of nongovernmental partners, including faith-based organizations and LGBTQI+-led organizations, with demonstrated experience in preventing and responding to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally;
to employ a multisectoral approach to preventing and responding to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally, including activities in the economic, education, health, nutrition, legal, and judicial sectors;
to work at all levels, from the individual to the family, community, local, national, and international levels, to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally;
to enhance training by United States personnel of professional foreign military and police forces and judicial officials to include appropriate and thorough LGBTQI+-specific instruction on preventing and responding to criminalization, discrimination, and violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics;
to engage non-LGBTQI+ people as allies and partners, as an essential element of making sustained reductions in criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally;
to require that all recipients of Federal funding, including all contractors, grants, and cooperative agreements for both acquisition and assistance, establish appropriate nondiscrimination policies that are inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics, among other characteristics and protected statuses, and take effective measures to ensure the protection and safety of employed and contracted staff, as well as the protection of the program beneficiaries;
to exert sustained international leadership, including in bilateral and multilateral fora, to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally;
to ensure that international efforts to combat HIV/AIDS take all appropriate measures to support at-risk communities, including LGBTQI+ people, and to create enabling legal environments for these communities;
to work with governments and nongovernmental organizations around the world to develop and implement regional strategies to decriminalize homosexuality and to counteract other restrictions on the human rights of LGBTQI+ people, including restrictions on LGBTQI+ organizations and so-called LGBTQI+ propaganda laws; and
to ensure that individuals who have a well-founded fear of persecution on account of being LGBTQI+ or supporting LGBTQI+ rights have the opportunity to seek protection in the United States.
Sec. 4 Special envoy for the human rights of lgbtqi+ people
Establishment— The Secretary of State shall establish in the Department of State a permanent Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ People (referred to in this section as the “Special Envoy”), who shall be appointed by the President at the rank of Ambassador, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
Purpose— In addition to the duties described in subsection (c) and those duties determined by the President and the Secretary of State, the Special Envoy shall direct efforts of the United States Government relating to United States foreign policy, as directed by the President and the Secretary, regarding human rights abuses against LGBTQI+ people and communities internationally and the advancement of human rights for LGBTQI+ people, and shall represent the United States internationally in bilateral and multilateral engagement on such matters.
Duties— The Special Envoy shall—
serve as the principal advisor to the Secretary of State regarding the human rights of LGBTQI+ people internationally; and
at the direction of the Secretary of State—
notwithstanding any other provision of law—
direct activities, policies, programs, and funding relating to the human rights of LGBTQI+ people and the advancement of LGBTQI+ human rights and social inclusion initiatives internationally, for all bureaus and offices of the Department of State; and
lead the coordination of relevant United States Government policies and international programs for all other Federal agencies relating to such matters;
represent the United States in diplomatic matters, including in bilateral and multilateral forums, relevant to the human rights and social inclusion of LGBTQI+ people, including addressing criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally;
direct, as appropriate, United States Government resources to respond to needs for protection, integration, resettlement, and empowerment of LGBTQI+ people in United States Government policies and international programs, including to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally;
lead interagency coordination on the foreign policy, humanitarian, and development priorities related to the human rights of LGBTQI+ people internationally; and
conduct regular consultations with nongovernmental organizations working to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally.
Briefings and assessments— Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Special Envoy shall provide a briefing to the appropriate congressional committees on the status of—
the human rights and social inclusion of LGBTQI+ people internationally; and
programs and response strategies of the United States Government to address criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally.
United States policy To prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people globally—
Global strategy requirement— Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and biannually thereafter, the Special Envoy shall—
develop or update a United States global strategy to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally; and
submit the global strategy to the appropriate congressional committees and, if practicable, make the global strategy available to the public.
Collaboration and coordination— In developing the global strategy required under paragraph (1), the Special Envoy shall consult with—
mid- and high-level officials of relevant Federal agencies; and
representatives of nongovernmental organizations with demonstrated experience in addressing criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally or promoting equal rights and social inclusion for LGBTQI+ people internationally.
Monitoring the United States strategy To prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people and communities internationally— In each global strategy submitted pursuant to subsection (e)(2), the Special Envoy shall include an analysis of promising practices for preventing and addressing criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people and communities internationally, including—
a description of successful efforts by foreign governments and nongovernmental organizations to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people and communities internationally;
recommendations related to promising practices, effective strategies, and improvements to enhance the impact of such prevention and response efforts; and
the impact of activities funded by the global strategy in preventing and reducing criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people and communities internationally.
Sec. 5 Documenting and responding to bias-motivated violence against lgbtqi+ people abroad
Information required To be included in annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices—
in paragraph (11)(C), by striking “; and” and inserting a semicolon;
in paragraph (12)(C)(ii), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and
by adding at the end the following:
“(13) wherever applicable, the nature and extent of criminalization, discrimination, and violence by state and non-state actors based on sexual orientation or gender identity (as such terms are defined in section 7 of the International Human Rights Defense Act of 2025) or sex characteristics, including an identification of those countries that have adopted laws or constitutional provisions that criminalize or discriminate based on such sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics, including descriptions of such laws and provisions.”
by redesignating the second subsection (i) (relating to child marriage status) as subsection (j); and
by adding at the end the following:
“(k) Sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics—The report required under subsection (b) shall include, wherever applicable, the nature and extent of criminalization, discrimination, and violence by state and non-state actors based on sexual orientation or gender identity, as those terms are defined in section 7 of the International Human Rights Defense Act of 2025, or sex characteristics, including an identification of those countries that have adopted laws or constitutional provisions that criminalize or discriminate based on such sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics, including descriptions of such laws and provisions.”
Sec. 6 Implementation of the United States strategy to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people and communities internationally
The Secretary of State is authorized to provide assistance to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally by—
developing and implementing assistance programs that respond to human rights abuses against, and the social and economic exclusion of, LGBTQI+ people;
supporting and capacity building for the development and enforcement of the laws of foreign governments pertaining to relevant civil and criminal legal and judicial sanctions, protection, and training;
enhancing health sector capacity—
to detect, prevent, and respond to violence against LGBTQI+ people and communities internationally; and
to combat HIV/AIDS in the LGBTQI+ community internationally, in close coordination with the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy of the Department of State; and
developing a leadership program for international LGBTQI+ activists that will foster collaboration and knowledge sharing around the world.
Sec. 7 Definitions
In this Act:
Appropriate congressional committees— The term appropriate congressional committees means—
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
Gender identity— The term gender identity means the gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, regardless of the individual’s designated sex at birth.
Intersex— The term intersex means individuals born with sex characteristics (including genitals, gonads, or chromosome patterns) that vary from typical binary notions of male or female bodies and is an umbrella term used to describe a wide range of natural bodily variations.
LGBTQI+— The term LGBTQI+ means lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex.
Sexual orientation— The term sexual orientation means actual or perceived homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality.