Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Legislation introduced affirming U.S. commitment to international LGBTI rights
From a news release
2018-06-07

This article shared 731 times since Thu Jun 7, 2018
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


Washington ( June 7, 2018 ) — Seeking to build on the United States' fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex ( LGBTI ) equality to be a foreign policy priority both at home and abroad, Senator Edward J. Markey ( D-Mass. ) and Congressman Alan Lowenthal ( CA-47 ) have introduced the International Human Rights Defense Act of 2018 in the House and Senate.

More than 80 nations around the world have enacted laws that criminalize the LGBTI community. Recent developments demonstrate a clear pattern of human rights violations on the basis on sexual orientation and gender identity in every region of the world. To this day there are still seven countries where homosexuality is a crime punishable by death.

"This special envoy position at the State Department will be a global model for defending LGBTQ rights around the world," said Senator Markey, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "For the United States to hold true to our commitment to defend the human rights of all people around the world, we must stand with the LGBTQ community in their struggle for recognition and equality everywhere. I thank Congressman Lowenthal for his continued partnership on this legislation. We will always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the LGBTQ community in their fight for equality."

"It is part of our duty as a nation built on the concept of equality, that we do what we can to enforce the precept that all people are entitled to the same set of basic human rights," said Congressman Lowenthal. "These rights include the right to love who they chose without fear of punishment or death. LGBTI rights are human rights."

The legislation would direct the Department of State to continue its efforts in defending the human rights of LGBTI people around the world. Specifically, the act would direct the Department of State to:

Prevent and respond to discrimination and violence against the LGBTI community;

Devise a global strategy to address discrimination against the LGBTI community;

Coordinate with local advocacy groups, governments, multilateral organizations, and the private sector, to promote international LGBTI human rights;

Create the permanent position of "Special Envoy on the Human Rights of LGBTI People" in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, in the Department of State, which will be responsible for coordinating the efforts of all federal programs to defend the human rights of the LGBTI community internationally; and

Continue to include a section on the LGBTI international human rights in the annual State Department Report on Human Rights.

A copy of the legislation can be found at the link: www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/LGBTI%20Special%20Envoy.pdf .

Senator Markey is the original author of the bill and has been its lead sponsor since the 113th Congress. In addition to Senator Markey, there are 20 original co-sponsors in the Senate, including: Senators Cory Booker ( D-N.J. ), Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass. ), Jeff Merkley ( D-Ore. ), Richard Blumenthal ( D-Conn. ), Sheldon Whitehouse ( D-R.I. ), Chris Coons ( D-Del. ), Kristin Gillibrand ( D-N.Y. ), Sherrod Brown ( D-Ohio ), Dick Durbin ( D-Ill. ), Chris Van Hollen ( D-Md. ), Ben Cardin ( D-Md. ), Bernard Sanders ( I-Vt. ), Tammy Baldwin ( D-Wisc. ), Chris Murphy ( D-Conn. ), Bill Nelson ( D-Fla. ), Ron Wyden ( D-Ore. ), Patrick Leahy ( D-Vt. ), Patty Murray ( D-Wash, ), Bob Casey ( D-Pa. ), and Jeanne Shaheen ( D-N.H. ).

In addition to Congressman Lowenthal, the other co-sponsors in the House, include Representatives Donald S. Beyer, Jr. ( VA-8 ),Earl Blumenauer ( OR-3 ), Robert A. Brady ( PA-1 ), Matthew Cartwright ( PA-17th ), David Cicilline ( RI-1 ), Katherine Clark ( MA-5 ), Yvette Clarke ( NY-9 ), Steve Cohen ( TN-9 ), Bonnie Watson Coleman ( NJ-12 ), Gerald E. Connolly ( VA-11 ), Charlie Crist ( FL-13th ), Judy Chu ( CA-27 ), Diana DeGette ( CO-1 ), Suzan Delbene ( WA-1 ), Mark DeSaulnier ( CA-11 ), Ted Deutch ( FL-22 ), Debbie Dingell ( IL-12 ), Eliot Engel ( NY-16 ), Adriano Espaillat ( NY-13 ), Elizabeth Esty ( CT-5 ), Ruban Gellego ( AZ-7 ), Raul Grijalva ( AZ-3 ), Luis Gutierrez ( IL-4 ), Alcee Hastings ( FL-20 ), Dennis Heck ( WA-10 ), Brian Higgins ( NY-26 ), Jim Himes ( CT-4 ), Eleanor Holmes Norton ( DC ), Sheila Jackson Lee ( TX-18 ), Pramila Jayapal ( WA-7 ), Henry Johnson Jr. ( GA-4 ), Ro Khanna ( CA-17 ), Derick Kilmer ( WA-6 ), Barbara Lee ( CA-13 ), Zoe Lofgren ( CA-19 ), Sean Patrick Maloney ( NY-18 ), Doris Matsui ( CA-6 ), Betty McCollum ( MN-4 ), Jim McGovern ( MA-2 ), Seth Moulton ( MA-6 ), Jerrold Nadler ( NY-10 ), Frank Pallone ( NJ-6 ), Jimmy Panetta ( CA-20 ), Donald Payne Jr. ( NJ-10 ), Scott Peters ( CA-52 ), Mark Pocan ( WI-2 ), Jamie Raskin ( MD-8 ), Kathleen Rice ( NY-4 ), Bobby Rush ( IL-1 ), Jan Schakowsky ( D-9 ), Adam Schiff ( CA-28 ), Debbie Wasserman Schultz ( FL-23 ), Carol Shea-Porter ( NH-1 ), Brad Sherman ( CA-30 ), Kyrsten Sinema ( AZ-9 ), Adam Smith ( WA-9 ), Robert C. Scott ( VA-3 ), Darren Soto ( FL-9 ), Jackie Speier ( CA-14 ), Mark Takano ( CA-41 ), Dina Titus ( NV-1 ), Paul Tonko ( NY-20 ), Niki Tsongas ( MA-3 ), and John Yarmuth ( KY-3 ).

The bill is endorsed by: Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights First, Council for Global Equality, American Jewish World Service, National Center for Transgender Equality, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and the American Psychological Association


This article shared 731 times since Thu Jun 7, 2018
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Thailand parliament passes landmark marriage bill
2024-03-27
On March 27, Thailand's parliament approved a marriage-equality bill by an overwhelmingly large margin—a landmark step that moves one of Asia's most liberal countries closer to legalizing same-sex unions, media ...


Gay News

Kara Swisher talks truth, power in tech at Chicago Humanities event
2024-03-25
Lesbian author, award-winning journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher spoke about truth and power in the tech industry through the lens of her most recent book, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, March 21 at First ...


Gay News

Wyoming is latest state to ban gender-affirming care for minors
2024-03-24
On March 22, Wyoming became the latest state to prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, The Hill noted. In doing so, it joined 23 other states that passed laws restricting or banning the treatment. Legislators in both ...


Gay News

Family of 2004 murder victim holds event in Lake View; reward announced
2024-03-24
The year 2004, for the family and friends of Lake View resident Kevin Clewer, will forever be marked by tragedy. On March 24 of that year, Clewer, 31, was found in his apartment at 3444 N. Elaine Pl.; he was the ...


Gay News

Chicago alder proposes renaming street after Obama
2024-03-22
Openly gay Black Chicago Ald. Lamont Robinson has proposed renaming Columbus Drive after former U.S. President and city resident Barack Obama, media outlets noted. The street stretches through the Loop from East Grand Avenue to DuSable ...


Gay News

No charges filed in Nex Benedict fight; campaigns call for Walters' removal
2024-03-22
In Oklahoma, Tulsa County District Attorney Stephen Kunzweiler announced that no charges will be filed in connection with the fight that happened the day before transgender, nonbinary high school student Nex Benedict died by suicide, NBC ...


Gay News

Congressional Equality Caucus on FY24 bills passing the house
2024-03-22
--From a press release - WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), released the following statement after the House successfully passed the final funding bills for Fiscal Year ...


Gay News

WORLD Uganda items, HIV report, Mandela, Liechtenstein, foreign minister weds
2024-03-21
It turned out that U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Senior LGBTQI+ Coordinator Jay Gilliam traveled to Uganda on Feb. 19-27, per The Washington Blade. He visited the capital of Kampala and the nearby city of ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Va. marriage bill, AARP, online counseling, Idaho items, late activist
2024-03-21
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed bills protecting same-sex marriages at a state level, surprising some, WRIC reported. The bills—passed out of both chambers along mostly party lines—will require clerks ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ candidates Marcelino Garcia, Precious Brady Davis win primary elections to keep MWRD seats
2024-03-21
Marcelino Garcia and Precious Brady-Davis, the two openly LGBTQ+ incumbents in the race to keep their seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), won their primary elections and will move on to the general this ...


Gay News

Small LGBTQ+ candidate pool nevertheless scores some important victories March 19
2024-03-20
Relatively few openly LGBTQ+ candidates were running in the March 19 Illinois Primary Election. But there were some significant contests in play at the local, state and federal levels. Openly gay Ald. Ray Lopez (15th Ward) ...


Gay News

Gay Irish prime minister to step down
2024-03-20
In a surprise move, openly gay Irish Prime Minister (or Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar has announced his resignation, citing "personal and political, but mainly political reasons," according to CNN. Varadkar said he felt he was no longer ...


Gay News

Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council sets a new course
2024-03-18
Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council held its first meeting of the calendar year on Feb. 28 at City Hall in the Loop under the leadership of the recently appointed chair Jin-Soo Huh. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is ...


Gay News

WORLD Leaked messages, Panama action, author dies at 32, Japan court, out athletes
2024-03-15
Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a report and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer, according to ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools
2024-03-15
In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.