House Resolution Calls on Malawi Government to Release Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza
Representatives Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) have introduced House Resolution 1335 calling on the Government of Malawi to release Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza, who were arrested after they affirmed their relationship in a traditional engagement ceremony. The two individuals have been convicted of committing acts of gross indecency and sentenced to 14 years at hard labor. Steven Monjeza’s health has already deteriorated under the harsh prison conditions to which they both have been confined for nearly five months. Please contact your member of Congress to ask your representative to co-sponsor this resolution, which recognizes that high levels of stigma and discrimination, exclusionary policies, and harsh criminal penalties against sexual conduct by consenting adults constitute fundamental human rights violations.
Both the State Department and the White House have also condemned this harsh and unjustified sentence; so have House Foreign Affairs Chairman Berman (D-CA) and Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI). Their statements,along with that of the French Government, can be found here.
Senator Feingold, Chairman of the U.S. Senate's Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, also sent a letter to the President of Malawi expressing concern at the human rights implications raised by this prosecution.
Senate Committee Passes Feingold Amendment Strengthening LGBT Protections Worldwide
April 27, 2010 – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) offered an amendment today in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to help the State Department address LGBT human rights concerns abroad. The amendment tracks language already adopted last year by the U.S. House of Representatives.
The successful bipartisan amendment calls on the Secretary of State to work through U.S. embassies to encourage the reform or repeal of laws that criminalize consensual homosexual activity. It also strengthens LGBT reporting in the annual State Department Human Rights Report, urges the State Department to designate one or more officers to monitor violence and laws related to sexual orientation, and includes LGBT issues in the human rights training offered to U.S. Foreign Service Officers. The amendment was cosponsored by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and passed on a 12-7 roll call vote, with all Democrats and Republican Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) voting in favor of the proposal. See a copy of Sen. Feingold’s press statement here http://feingold.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=324234.
U.S. Senate Passes Resolution Condemning the "Anti-Homosexuality" Bill in Uganda
The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed a resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Susan Collins (R-ME) condemning the “Anti-Homosexuality” bill in Uganda and calling for all countries to decriminalize consensual homosexual relations. See a copy of the resolution and the press statement from Sen. Feingold.
The bipartisan nature of the resolution, which bridges strong ideological divides in the Senate, reflects the extent to which US officials, from Congressional leaders to the President to the Secretary of State to our Ambassador in Uganda, have spoken with one voice to oppose the bill as a fundamental assault on basic human rights. It is also remarkable in its forward leaning posture, as it looks beyond this one odious bill in Uganda and calls on all countries to decriminalize consensual homosexual conduct and protect the fundamental human rights of LGBT individuals.
U.S. State Department Releases Human Rights Report to Congress
March 11, 2010 – The State Department today released a report to Congress that examines the human rights record of every country around the world. Once again, the report documents a growing crisis in human rights abuse directed against LGBT people worldwide.
For the first time ever, most of the country chapters have a dedicated section examining “societal abuses, discrimination, and acts of violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” In its cumulative impact, the report makes clear that LGBT rights are firmly rooted in basic human rights protections and that those protections are under severe attack in the world today.
Responding to the coverage of Uganda in the report, senior adviser and former U.S. Ambassador Michael Guest applauded “President Obama’s and Secretary Clinton’s principled belief that the human rights of LGBT people cannot be separated from those of all of society.” Emphasizing that “many of the most egregious abuses have been committed in countries considered to be friends and allies of the United States,” he urged that the State Department develop strategies to counter intolerance and homophobia in every region, drawing on all the tools of American diplomacy.
See the Council’s full press release here.
See an edited compendium of all LGBT references in the report here.
Watch a short video of Secretary Clinton delivering remarks to the press about the Release of the 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.
Uganda Resolutions Mark Washington Prayer Breakfast
At the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington on February 4, President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton both condemned the “Anti-Homosexuality” bill that is currently being debated in parliament in Uganda. President Obama referred to it as an “unconscionable” and “odious” law. And Secretary of State Clinton, noting that the administration is “standing up for gays and lesbians,” emphasized that she recently called Uganda’s President to express her “strongest concerns” about the law being debated in parliament there. Several advocacy groups also came together to organize an “American Prayer Hour” in 17 cities to raise awareness around the Uganda bill and its connection to conservative religious figures in the United States.
Two resolutions condemning the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality bill were introduced in the House and the Senate during this same week. House Resolution 1064 was introduced with bipartisan support from more than three dozen members of Congress. A Senate resolution was introduced with bipartisan support from Senators Feingold (D-WI), Coburn (R-OK), Cardin (D-MD) and Collins (R-ME). We ask that you help mobilize additional support for these resolutions by calling your representatives and asking them to join as cosponsors.
Find out how to help kill the "Kill the Gays" bill
View short video of Obama and Clinton at the National Prayer Breakfast
Ugandan and American Human Rights Activists Testify Against proposed Uganda "Anti-Homosexuality Bill"
On January 21, 2010 Ugandan and American human rights activists came together to testify against the proposed Uganda “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” at a hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. Congress. The hearing is the latest in a series of actions by the U.S. government to signal its disapproval of the measure under consideration in the Ugandan parliament. Over 90 members of Congress also signed a letter to Ugandan President Museveni condemning the proposed legislation and another letter to President Obama supporting current U.S. efforts in bilateral relations against the bill and requesting continued pressure from the U.S. government.
View a short clip of Tammy Baldwin's opening remarks.
Read the Press Release and Letter to Pres. Museveni issued by Senators Durbin and Cardin.
The Council for Global Equality releases a study on the impact of PEPFAR on LGBT communities
The report, “How Ideology Trumped Science: Why PEPFAR has Failed to Meet its Potential,” outlines in detail multiple ways in which conservative ideology has distorted PEPFAR’s reach and impact. These include: inadequate attention to the needs of men who have sex with men; failure to address laws that have impeded outreach to underserved LGBT communities; exclusion of programs targeting commercial sex workers and injecting drug users; and inadequate attention to sex education, particularly the correct usage of condoms. These and other shortfalls detailed in the report have undermined the science-based approach needed to win the fight against HIV and AIDS.
The report, which can be found at here, was authored by Scott Evertz, Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy during the first term of George W. Bush’s administration. As Michael Guest, Senior Advisor to the Council, observes, “Mr. Evertz’ observations of what went wrong with PEPFAR are first-hand. His specific recommendations to improve the program reflect both an expert’s knowledge of HIV/AIDS problems facing LGBT communities abroad as well as the political shoals on which a science-based approach to HIV/AIDS prevention has foundered.”
Visit the Council's blog for more on this study.
Click on the video link to view a roundtable discussion on the reports findings
The Council for Global Equality joins human rights leaders in condemning Ugandan "Anti-Homosexuality" bill The Council for Global Equality joins human rights leaders in condemning the “Anti-Homosexuality” bill that was introduced in the Ugandan parliament in October 2009. The bill is undoubtedly one of the most homophobic pieces of legislation ever conceived. It would increase the penalty for consensual homosexual conduct from 14 years to life in prison. It would also limit the distribution of HIV information through a provision criminalizing the “promotion of homosexuality.” Beyond that, it creates a crime of “aggravated homosexuality,” punishing anyone who is HIV-positive with death for having consensual same-sex relations, even if the relations are informed and safe and regardless of whether the person is even aware of his or her HIV status. That provision alone is contrary to every scientifically-sound public health recommendation for reaching vulnerable HIV-positive communities with the prevention, care and treatment they so desperately deserve. The law also exposes anyone in Uganda, including HIV outreach experts, to a criminal sentence for not reporting to the government within 24-hours on anyone who engages in homosexual activity.
The Council has been in contact with senior officials in the State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Kampala and the National Security Council to express concern over the legislation and its potential to undermine our substantial U.S. investment in the country’s HIV/AIDS response. The U.S. Embassy in Uganda has condemned the proposal in clear and forceful terms.
A press release from a coalition of domestic and international human rights groups is available here. A copy of the legislation, as tabled in parliament, is available here. In addition, a letter from the U.S. Congress to Secretary of State Clinton expressing grave concern at the human rights implications of the bill and its impact on our global health investment in Uganda is available here, along with the State Department's response.
The Council for Global Equality Welcomes Important Legislative Victory
The Council for Global Equality welcomes the important legislative victory this week that expands our country’s federal hate crime statute to allow Justice Department support in prosecuting crimes directed at individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender or disability. The bill – long associated with the brutal killing eleven years ago this month of Matthew Shepard – is a milestone on our march toward full equality and a fitting memorial to Matthew and to the many other Americans who have been killed simply for being themselves. It also sends a message on the global stage. Earlier this month, at a human rights conference in Poland, the United States spoke of the need to address violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals in Eastern Europe and beyond. This new law will provide a powerful example of our country’s own commitment to fighting hate crimes, and it lends additional credibility when the United States speaks out against violence directed at LGBT communities beyond our borders. The Council for Global Equality looks forward to working with the State Department to give international voice to our new domestic resolve.
The Council for Global Equality Honors Congresswoman Tammy Balwin (D-WI)
Washington, DC - October 21, 2009-The Council for Global Equality joined Fair Wisconsin and Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights in awarding Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin the first-ever Global Equality Leadership Award. The Council's first award is being presented jointly by all three organizations on October 20, 2009 in recognition of the Congresswoman's work to promote human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities at the local, national and international levels.
Read full press release.
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The Council for Global Equality Releases New Report
The Council for Global Equality released a new report, Anchoring Equality: How U.S. Corporations Can Build Equal and Inclusive Global Workforces, at the Out & Equal Workplace Summit, the nation’s premier corporate equality conference. The report outlines steps that U.S. corporations can take to protect their LGBT employees and promote fair workplace policies across all of their facilities around the world. In some cases, that requires corporate efforts to change discriminatory local laws that interfere with business. Corporations that promote workplace equality on the global stage do so because it is good for their employees and good for business. They also recognize that America’s foreign policy is not the exclusive purview of the State Department or the U.S. government. The workplace policies of U.S. corporations abroad reflect on American values, influence America’s standing in the world and shape the corporate image of pro-equality companies within the global marketplace. The report was written in collaboration with three members of the Council: Immigration Equality, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, and Human Rights Campaign.
Read the full report
