By law, the U.S. Congress requires the State Department to report annually on human rights conditions in all countries (except the United States). In 1993, the instructions on reporting were modified to require all U.S. embassies to include information on patterns of abuse directed at specific minority groups including those based on ethnicity, religion, trade union activity, sexual orientation or other factors. Embassies were also instructed to report on incitement to violence directed against these groups, whether instigated by the government or by other elements of society.
The 2010 report on human rights (released in April 2011) reveals a continued crisis in human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. 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.
In the Human Rights Report, the State Department once again lists human rights concerns relating to sexual orientation and gender identity in approximately 190 countries.
Click here to see a summary of the 2010 report references to human rights abuses based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
By comparison Click here to see a summary of the 2009 report references to human rights abuses based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
