Restore U.S. Leadership on Global LGBTQ+ and Human Rights

The United States has abandoned its role as a global advocate for human rights, and the consequences are devastating. According to Human Rights Watch's latest annual report, 72% of the world's population now lives under autocracy, with the U.S. itself less free than it was 20 years ago. Philippe Bolopion, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, warns that "the global human rights system is in peril" due to relentless pressure from the current administration and persistent undermining by China and Russia. The reversal is particularly stark regarding LGBTQ+ rights. Sarah Yager, Human Rights Watch Washington Director, stated that "LGBTQ rights are not just a casualty of the Trump foreign policy. It is the intent of the Trump foreign policy." The administration has slashed or eliminated funding that once advanced LGBTQ+ rights globally, shut down USAID programs supporting HIV/AIDS initiatives, and withdrawn from dozens of U.N. treaties under the pretext of eliminating "gender ideology." This retreat emboldens authoritarian regimes. In Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is a close Trump ally, parliament banned Pride marches and other public LGBTQ+ events in March, imposing fines on participants and authorizing facial recognition to identify attendees. In Russia, individuals have received prison sentences of six and three years for allegedly "involving" people in the "international LGBT movement," which the Supreme Court designated as "extremist." Another person received compulsory labor for displaying a rainbow flag. Domestically, the administration has prohibited government use of the term "gender," restricted gender-affirming care for youth, and rolled back protections for transgender students. These actions signal to authoritarian leaders worldwide that human rights violations will face no consequences. I urge you to oppose policies that undermine LGBTQ+ rights both domestically and internationally, restore funding for programs that advance human rights globally, and reaffirm America's commitment to the rules-based international order. Our nation's moral authority depends on leading by example, not retreating into isolation while autocracy spreads.