LGBTQ Rights and Policy Globally
By Joshua O’Brien
jobrien3@live.unc.edu
October 11th is National Coming Out Day in the United States. In my own recognition of this day’s importance, I want to turn my attention to LGBTQ issuers in foreign policy. In a realist lens, policies to address LGBTQ human rights violations globally are anywhere from irrelevant to harmful for security goals. But much as the United States has a (spotty) history of advocating for human rights globally, the rights of LGBTQ people should be considered amongst these important issues. LGBTQ rights vary globally, some areas accord more rights to this population than other areas.
The most visible metric of LGBTQ rights is that of marriage equality: of the 195 UN recognized states in the world, 29 of them have legal same-sex marriage. This number has been slowly growing in recent years, but it is not a perfect metric. For example: Switzerland, a relatively progressive European country, has not extended full legal marriage rights to its LGBTQ populations.
There are other metrics for LGBTQ rights globally:
Approximately 45 have national sexual orientation and gender identity protections for employment.
Joint adoption by same-sex couples is allowed in 27 countries.
Roughly 50 countries have some form of hate crime legislation including LGBTQ populations.
Only 19 countries allow transgender people to serve in their militaries.
There are 72 countries in the world where same-sex relations are criminalized.
In 15 countries, the gender expression of trans people is explicitly outlawed, but trans people are targeted in many more countries.
Of course, there are a lot of variables and no one metric is going to be a tell-all about LGBTQ rights in a particular country—especially as many oppressions towards queer people are culturally-sanctioned rather than legally codified. But it is clear that globally, much needs to be done for LGBTQ people.
Unfortunately, I am more pragmatic than optimistic in my assessment of positive change on LGBTQ issues. It takes a lot of political capital to make needed changes in the United States and parts of Europe. It would take much more to demand and instill policy changes globally—especially on issues that will have significant cultural implications. In practical terms, swift change through global advocacy is impossible. But consistent inclusion of advocacy for LGBTQ rights globally in foreign policy and human rights agendas for the United States and Europe are crucial. While it will not bring change quickly enough, it will at least make it known that LGBTQ people are of global concern for human rights, and that we expect each successive generation of queer people to have it better than the one preceding them. While it might seem bleak globally, I do believe that progress will happen. After all, it happened here, in America, for me and so many like me.
Note: I am not an expert on queer experiences of LGBTQ foreign policy. These are just my thoughts. If you would like to engage further on the subject, I would be delighted to receive your thoughts at jobrien3@live.unc.edu. Love wins.