Washington (June 25, 2021) –Senator Edward J. Markey
(D-Mass) and Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) today applauded the White
House’s announcement that President Joseph R. Biden has appointed OutRight
Action International Executive Director Jessica Stern as the State Department
Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons.
“I applaud the Biden administration’s announcement of
Jessica Stern as the new Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+
Persons, as our celebration of Pride Month draws to a close and we mark the
sixth anniversary since the landmark Obergefell ruling that granted all
Americans the freedom to marry,” said Senator Markey. “Jessica brings
deep experience to this job given her lifelong dedication to LGBTQI+ issues and
her leadership as the Executive Director of OutRight Action International. With
Jessica at the helm, the United States will energetically prioritize the need
to protect LGBTQI+ rights as fundamental human rights around the world. I once
again urge the Administration to elevate this position to the rank of
Ambassador to affirm to the world that America’s defense of LGBTQI+ rights will
be a focal point of its human rights agenda. Congress should immediately take
up and pass my and Congressman Lowenthal’s International Human Rights Defense
Act so we can make sure the LGBTQI+ Special Envoy is maintained permanently in
the future.”
"I am tremendously pleased by the appointment of
Jessica Stern as the new special envoy,” said Congressman Lowenthal. “She
brings to the position not only her professional experience as an
internationally known and respected champion of LGBTOI+ rights and equality,
but also her profound understanding of the issues of gender, sexuality, and
human rights globally. Her appointment is a major step toward assuring that we
as a nation serve as a beacon to the rest of the world by promoting our
fundamental values of equality, equity, and diversity, especially at a time
when the basic human rights of so many people across the globe are being
threatened. I have no doubt that Ms. Stern will play a major part in
guaranteeing our nation's foreign policy role in defending the innate rights of
all human being throughout the world to live, love, and
prosper."
Nearly 70 nations around the world have enacted laws that
criminalize homosexuality. Abuses in Chechnya, Tanzania, Uganda, and elsewhere
demonstrate a continued threat posed to the fundamental rights of LGBTQI+
communities in every region of the world.
At the urging of Senator Markey and Congressman Lowenthal,
then-Secretary of State John Kerry first appointed a special envoy for LGBTQI+
rights in 2015. The position went vacant throughout the Trump Administration –
despite promises to Congress by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to fill
it. Senator Markey and Congressman Lowenthal have introduced the
International Human Rights Defense
Act, which would make this
special envoy position permanent.
The special envoy is tasked with helping to advance five
key diplomatic objectives of the Biden Administration foreign policy, including
combating the criminalization of LGBTQI+ status or conduct abroad; protecting
vulnerable LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers; leveraging foreign assistance
to protect human rights and advance nondiscrimination; enacting swift and
meaningful U.S. responses to human rights abuses of LGBTOI+ persons abroad;
and, building coalitions of like-minded nations and engaging international
organizations in the fight against LGBTQI+ discrimination.
