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[Pages S2692-S2693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA, TRANSPHOBIA AND BIPHOBIA
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I rise to mark the start of LGBT
Pride Month with reflections on the recent International Day against
Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia--IDAHOBIT. For more than 50 years,
Pride Month has been a reminder that, despite recent progress, every
day, millions of people around the world face social stigmatization,
legal prosecution, and even violence based on their sexual orientation
or because of their gender identity. COVID-19 is necessitating
adjustments to how this month is celebrated, with organizers moving
large-scale parades from the streets of towns and cities to the
internet, where a 24-hour online Global Pride celebration is planned
for later this month.
Two short weeks ago was the annual commemoration of the International
Day against Homophobia, Transphobia
[[Page S2693]]
and Biphobia--IDAHOBIT. Started on May 17, 2004, IDAHOBIT was
established by LGBTQ activists in 2004 to commemorate the World Health
Organization's historic decision in 1990 to remove homosexuality from
the International Classification of Diseases. As in the United States,
despite the progress we have made since 1990, around the world,
homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia continue to flourish in many
parts of the world.
The theme of this year's International Day against Homophobia,
Transphobia and Biphobia was ``Breaking the Silence.'' Millions of
LGBTQ individuals around the world continue to be forced to hide their
identities because of who they are or whom they love. They struggle to
achieve the most basic of human rights, let alone respect and
visibility. The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and
Intersex Association--ILGA--lists 70 countries in which same-sex
activities are outlawed, and penalties range from 8 years' imprisonment
to the death penalty. Even in countries that do not criminalize
homosexuality, many still have laws on the books that make living
openly next to impossible. Only five countries, of which the United
States is not one, ban the damaging practice of conversion therapy.
This type of discrimination has only been compounded by the global
outbreak of COVID-19. In addition to the widespread health and economic
hardship that this pandemic is creating, it is producing new risks and
forms of persecution for the LGBTQ community.
In Uganda, security forces stormed an LGBTQ shelter, binding the
occupants' hands with rope before marching them to a nearby police
station on charges of disobeying social distancing rules. In Latin
America, transgender, nonbinary, and queer people who present as
gender-nonconforming are being detained or fined for going to the
grocery store on days designated by the government as ``men-only'' or
``women-only.'' Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has used the
pandemic as an excuse to move legislation that will ban the legal
recognition of transgender citizens. Meanwhile, in South Korea, there
is a disturbing rise in online hate speech blaming the LGBTQ community
for spreading the coronavirus. A number of religious leaders around the
world have cruelly attributed the spread of COVID-19 to divine
retribution for recognition of same-sex marriages.
The COVID-19 pandemic will eventually fade, but the abuse of LGBTQ
people will continue unless we come together as a global community to
put an end to it. Historically, the United States has been a strong
international leader on issues of human rights like this one. However,
the current administration's neglect of LGBTQ rights, both at home and
abroad, has hurt our credibility and diminished our power to make
positive change.
Within the United States, the Trump administration has issued rules
sanctioning employment, housing, medical, and other forms of
discrimination based on gender identity. It has also repeatedly used
religious liberty as a shield to enable discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation. On a global scale, the administration has attempted
to undermine internationally recognized definitions of human rights
through the U.S. State Department's Commission on Inalienable Rights
and turned a blind eye to the persecution of LGBTQ people in other
countries. It is said that you can measure the strength of a democracy
by the rights it affords to marginalized communities, these actions do
not reflect the strong democracy that we strive to be.
Looking at the state of the world today, it is clear that we need
more champions for LGBTQ rights on the international stage. We need
more leaders to break the silence and speak up for everyone's right to
live truly as themselves. This Pride Month, I am hopeful that the
United States will once again be one of those voices. For my part, I
will keep fighting to protect LGBTQ rights at home and around the
globe, so that all people can pursue happiness and love without fear.
____________________
