I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5128 
To establish in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of 
the Department of State a Special Envoy for the Human Rights of 
LGBT Peoples. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 16, 2014 
Mr. TIERNEY (for himself, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. ESTY, Mr. GIBSON, Mr. 
HANNA, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. MCGOVERN, and Ms. SCHAKOWSKY) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on For-
eign Affairs 
A BILL 
To establish in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, 
and Labor of the Department of State a Special Envoy 
for the Human Rights of LGBT Peoples. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘International Human 
Rights Defense Act of 2014’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations 
and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
Senate; and 
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 
the Committee on Appropriations of the House 
of Representatives. 
(2) GENDER
IDENTITY.—The term ‘‘gender 
identity’’ means the gender-related identity, appear-
ance, or mannerisms or other gender-related charac-
teristics of an individual, with or without regard to 
the individual’s designated sex at birth. 
(3) LGBT.—The term ‘‘LGBT’’ means lesbian, 
gay, bisexual, or transgender. 
(4) SEXUAL ORIENTATION.—The term ‘‘sexual 
orientation’’ means homosexuality, heterosexuality, 
or bisexuality. 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Eighty-two countries prohibit the public 
support 
of 
the 
LGBT 
community, 
promote 
homophobia across society, or criminalize homosex-
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uality. That is equal to more than 40 percent of 
United Nations Member States. 
(2) In seven countries, homosexuality is a crime 
that is punishable by death. 
(3) Around the world, LGBT people face dis-
crimination, hatred, violence, and bigotry. 
(4) Violence and discrimination based on sexual 
orientation and gender identity are documented in 
the Department of State’s annual Human Rights 
Report to Congress. The 2013 report continues to 
show a clear pattern of increased human rights vio-
lations in every region of the world based on sexual 
orientation and gender identity. These violations in-
clude murder, rape, torture, death threats, extortion, 
imprisonment, as well as loss of employment, hous-
ing, access to health care, and other forms of soci-
etal stigma and discrimination. The report further 
documents growing LGBT-specific restrictions on 
basic freedoms of assembly, press, and speech in 
every region of the world. 
(5) In Jamaica and other countries, discrimina-
tion against LGBT people, including ‘‘corrective 
rape’’ of lesbian women, occurs all too frequently 
and with relative impunity. 
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(10) On December 6, 2011, President Barack 
Obama released the Presidential Memorandum— 
International Initiatives to Advance the Human 
Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender 
Persons. The memorandum directed all Federal 
agencies engaged abroad to ensure that United 
States diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and 
protect the human rights of LGBT persons. 
(11) Secretary of State John Kerry has an-
nounced that the United States Government will re-
view United States diplomatic relationships with Ni-
geria and Uganda in light of passage of their recent 
anti-LGBT laws. On March 23, 2014, the Depart-
ment of State announced that the United States 
Government would cut $6,400,000 in funding for 
the Interreligious Council of Uganda because of its 
support for the Anti-Homosexuality Act, halt a sur-
vey designed to minimize the spread of HIV/AIDS 
because of potential harm to respondents, impose 
short-term travel bans on Ugandan military officials, 
and halt some joint military exercises with the mili-
tary of Uganda. 
(12) In December 2013, the Supreme Court of 
India reversed a lower court ruling and reinstated 
the criminalization of homosexuality in the second 
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most populous nation on Earth. In April 2014, In-
dia’s Supreme Court recognized transgender people 
as a third gender, improving the legal rights of 
transgender people in that country. Given these two 
court decisions, the degree of human rights protec-
tions for LGBT persons in India is uncertain. 
(13) Removing institutionalized discrimination 
and targeted persecution against LGBT people 
around the world is a critical step in the promotion 
of human rights and global health internationally. 
(14) According to the Trans Murder Monitoring 
Project, which monitors homicides of transgender in-
dividuals, 238 transgender persons were killed be-
tween November 2012 and November 2013 world-
wide. 
(15) According to the International Guidelines 
on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, as published by 
the United Nations High Commissioner for Human 
Rights, countries should review and reform criminal 
laws and correctional systems to ensure that they 
are consistent with international human rights obli-
gations and are not misused in the context of HIV 
or targeted against vulnerable groups. 
SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
It is the policy of the United States— 
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(1) to take effective action to prevent and re-
spond to discrimination and violence against all peo-
ple on any basis internationally, including sexual ori-
entation and gender identity, and that human rights 
policy include attention to hate crimes and other dis-
crimination against LGBT people; 
(2) to systematically integrate and coordinate 
efforts to prevent and respond to discrimination and 
violence against LGBT people internationally into 
United States foreign policy; 
(3) to support and build local capacity in coun-
tries around the world, including of governments at 
all levels and nongovernmental organizations, to pre-
vent and respond to discrimination and violence 
against LGBT people internationally; 
(4) to consult, cooperate, coordinate, and col-
laborate with a wide variety of nongovernmental 
partners with demonstrated experience in preventing 
and responding to discrimination and violence 
against LGBT people internationally, including 
faith-based organizations and LGBT-led organiza-
tions; 
(5) to employ a multisectoral approach to pre-
venting and responding to discrimination and vio-
lence against LGBT people internationally, including 
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activities in the economic, education, health, nutri-
tion, legal, and judicial sectors; 
(6) to work at all levels, from the individual to 
the family, community, local, national, and inter-
national levels, to prevent and respond to discrimina-
tion and violence against LGBT people internation-
ally; 
(7) to enhance training by United States per-
sonnel of professional foreign military and police 
forces and judicial officials to include appropriate 
and thorough LGBT-specific instruction on pre-
venting and responding to discrimination and vio-
lence based on sexual orientation and gender iden-
tity; 
(8) to engage non-LGBT people as allies and 
partners, as an essential element of making sus-
tained reductions in discrimination and violence 
against LGBT people; 
(9) to require that all Federal contractors and 
grant recipients in the United States Government’s 
international programs establish appropriate policies 
and take effective measures to ensure the protection 
and safety of their staff and workplace, including 
from discrimination and violence directed against 
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LGBT people and those who provide services to 
them; 
(10) to exert sustained international leadership 
to prevent and respond to discrimination and vio-
lence against LGBT persons, including in bilateral 
and multilateral fora; 
(11) to fully implement and expand upon the 
policies outlined in the Presidential Memorandum— 
International Initiatives to Advance the Human 
Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender 
Persons; 
(12) to ensure that international efforts to com-
bat HIV/AIDS take all appropriate measures to sup-
port at-risk communities, including LGBT persons, 
and to create enabling legal environments for these 
communities; 
(13) to work with governments and nongovern-
mental partners around the world to develop and im-
plement regional strategies to decriminalize homo-
sexuality and to counteract the prohibition of public 
support of the LGBT community; and 
(14) to ensure that those who have a well- 
founded fear of persecution on account of being 
LGBT or supporting LGBT rights have the oppor-
tunity to seek protection in the United States. 
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SEC. 5. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF LGBT 
PEOPLE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of State shall 
establish in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, 
and Labor (DRL) of the Department of State a Special 
Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBT Peoples (in this 
section referred to as the ‘‘Special Envoy’’), who shall be 
appointed by the President. The Special Envoy shall re-
port directly to the Assistant Secretary for DRL. 
(b) PURPOSE.—In addition to the duties described in 
subsection (c) and those duties determined by the Sec-
retary of State, the Special Envoy shall direct efforts of 
the United States Government as directed by the Sec-
retary regarding human rights abuses against the LGBT 
community internationally and the advancement of human 
rights for LGBT people in United States foreign policy, 
and shall represent the United States internationally in 
bilateral and multilateral engagement on these matters. 
(c) DUTIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Special Envoy— 
(A) shall direct activities, policies, pro-
grams, and funding relating to the human 
rights of LGBT people and the advancement of 
LGBT equality initiatives internationally, for all 
bureaus and offices of the Department of State 
and shall lead the coordination of relevant 
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nator of the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development; 
(F) shall conduct regular consultation with 
civil society organizations working to prevent 
and respond to discrimination and violence 
against LGBT people internationally; 
(G) shall ensure that programs, projects, 
and activities designed to prevent and respond 
to discrimination and violence against LGBT 
people are subject to rigorous monitoring and 
evaluation, and that there is a uniform set of 
indicators and standards for such monitoring 
and evaluation that is used across international 
programs in Federal agencies; 
(H) shall serve as the principal advisor to 
the Secretary of State regarding human rights 
for LGBT people internationally; and 
(I) is authorized to represent the United 
States in diplomatic and multilateral situations 
on matters relevant to the human rights of 
LGBT people, including discrimination and vio-
lence against LGBT people internationally. 
(2) DATA
REPOSITORY.—The Bureau of De-
mocracy, Human Rights, and Labor shall— 
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(A) be the central repository of data on all 
United States programs, projects, and activities 
that relate to prevention and response to dis-
crimination and violence against LGBT people; 
and 
(B) produce— 
(i) a full accounting of United States 
Government spending on such programs, 
projects, and activities; and 
(ii) evaluations of the effectiveness of 
implemented programs. 
SEC. 6. BRIEFINGS AND ASSESSMENTS. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Special 
Envoy shall brief the appropriate congressional commit-
tees on the status of the human rights of LGBT people 
internationally, as well as the status of programs and re-
sponse strategies to address LGBT discrimination and vi-
olence against LGBT people internationally, and shall 
submit to the appropriate congressional committees an as-
sessment of human and financial resources necessary to 
fulfill the purposes and duties of this Act. 
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SEC. 7. UNITED STATES POLICY TO PREVENT AND RE-
SPOND TO DISCRIMINATION AND VIOLENCE 
AGAINST LGBT PEOPLE GLOBALLY. 
(a) GLOBAL STRATEGY REQUIREMENT.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
and annually thereafter for five years, the Special Envoy 
shall develop or update a United States global strategy 
to prevent and respond to discrimination and violence 
against LGBT people globally. The strategy shall be 
transmitted to the appropriate congressional committees 
and, if practicable, made available to the public. 
(b) INITIAL STRATEGY.—For the purposes of this 
section, the Presidential Memorandum—International Ini-
tiatives to Advance the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, 
Bisexual, and Transgender Persons, issued December 6, 
2011, shall be deemed to fulfill the initial requirement of 
subsection (a). 
(c) REPORTING.—In accordance with paragraph (13) 
of section 116(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
(22 U.S.C. 2151n(d)), as added by section 9(b), the An-
nual Report on Human Rights Practices shall include de-
tailed descriptions of nations that have adopted laws or 
constitutions that discriminate against LGBT people. 
(d) COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION.—In devel-
oping the strategy under subsection (a), the Special Envoy 
shall consult with— 
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(1) the heads of relevant Federal agencies; and 
(2) representatives of civil society, multilateral, 
and private sector organizations with demonstrated 
experience in addressing discrimination and violence 
against LGBT people or promoting equal rights for 
LGBT people internationally. 
SEC. 8. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UNITED STATES STRAT-
EGY TO PREVENT AND RESPOND TO LGBT 
DISCRIMINATION AND VIOLENCE AGAINST 
THE LGBT COMMUNITY GLOBALLY. 
The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Development are 
authorized to provide assistance to prevent and respond 
to discrimination and violence against LGBT people inter-
nationally, including the following activities: 
(1) Development and implementation of pro-
grams, such as the Global Equality Fund, that re-
spond to human rights abuses and economic exclu-
sion of LGBT people in the workplace and in public. 
(2) Development and enforcement of civil and 
criminal legal and judicial sanctions, protection, 
training, and capacity. 
(3) Enhancement of the health sector capacity 
to detect, prevent, and respond to violence against 
the LGBT community and to combat HIV/AIDS in 
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the LGBT community internationally, in close co-
ordination with the Office of the Global AIDS Coor-
dinator. 
(4) Development of a leadership program for 
international LGBT activists that will foster collabo-
ration and knowledge sharing across the world. 
SEC. 9. MONITORING THE UNITED STATES STRATEGY TO 
PREVENT AND RESPOND TO DISCRIMINA-
TION AND VIOLENCE AGAINST THE LGBT 
COMMUNITY GLOBALLY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In each strategy submitted under 
section 7(a), the Special Envoy shall include an analysis 
of best practices for preventing and addressing discrimina-
tion and violence against LGBT people internationally, 
which shall include— 
(1) a description of successful efforts by foreign 
governments, multilateral institutions, nongovern-
mental organizations, educational organizations, and 
faith-based organizations in preventing and respond-
ing to discrimination and violence against LGBT 
people; 
(2) recommendations related to best practices, 
effective strategies, and improvements to enhance 
the impact of prevention and response efforts; and 
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