I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6033 
To establish in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of 
the Department of State a Special Envoy for the Human Rights of 
LGBTI Peoples, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 7, 2018 
Mr. LOWENTHAL (for himself, Mr. BEYER, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. BRADY of 
Pennsylvania, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. CLARK of Massa-
chusetts, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. COHEN, Mrs. WATSON COLE-
MAN, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. CRIST, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Ms. 
DEGETTE, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. DEUTCH, Mrs. DIN-
GELL, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. ESTY of Connecticut, Mr. 
GALLEGO, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. GUTIE´RREZ, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. HECK, 
Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Mr. HIMES, Ms. NORTON, Ms. JACKSON LEE, 
Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. KILMER, Ms. 
LEE, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Ms. 
MATSUI, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. NADLER, 
Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. PETERS, Mr. POCAN, Mr. 
RASKIN, Miss RICE of New York, Mr. RUSH, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 
SCHIFF, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. SHERMAN, 
Ms. SINEMA, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. 
SOTO, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. TITUS, Mr. TONKO, Ms. TSONGAS, 
and Mr. YARMUTH) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign 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 LGBTI Peoples, and for other 
purposes. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Jun 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6652
E:\BILLS\H6033.IH
H6033
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with BILLS
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 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(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, regardless of the individ-
ual’s designated sex at birth. 
(3) LGBTI.—The term ‘‘LGBTI’’ means les-
bian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Jun 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6033.IH
H6033
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with BILLS
(4) SEXUAL ORIENTATION.—The term ‘‘sexual 
orientation’’ means actual or perceived homosex-
uality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality. 
(5) INTERSEX.—The term ‘‘intersex’’ means in-
dividuals born with sex characteristics (including 
genitals, gonads, or chromosome patterns) that vary 
from typical binary notions of male or female bodies 
and is an umbrella term used to describe a wide 
range of natural bodily variations. 
(6) SEX
CHARACTERISTICS.—The term ‘‘sex 
characteristics’’ means the chromosomal, gonadal, or 
anatomical features of a person, including— 
(A) primary characteristics, such as repro-
ductive organs and genitalia, chromosomal 
structures, or hormones; and 
(B) secondary characteristics, such as 
muscle mass, hair distribution, breasts, or 
structure. 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Around the world, LGBTI people face vio-
lence, discrimination, hatred, and bigotry. 
(2) Seventy-five countries criminalize same-sex 
relations or prohibit the public support of the 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Jun 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6033.IH
H6033
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with BILLS
LGBTI community. That is equal to nearly 40 per-
cent of United Nations member states. 
(3) In several countries, homosexuality is a 
crime that is punishable by death. 
(4) Intersex people experience prejudice and 
discrimination because their bodies do not conform 
to other people’s expectations about sex and gender, 
including the common performance of medically un-
necessary surgeries without the consent or approval 
of intersex individuals. 
(5) 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 2016 report continues to 
show a clear pattern of human rights violations in 
every region of the world based on sexual orientation 
and gender identity. These violations include mur-
der, rape, torture, death threats, extortion, and im-
prisonment, as well as loss of employment, housing, 
access to health care, and other forms of societal 
stigma and discrimination. The report further docu-
ments LGBTI-specific restrictions on basic freedoms 
of assembly, press, and speech in every region of the 
world. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Jun 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6033.IH
H6033
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with BILLS
(6) In Jamaica and other countries, discrimina-
tion against LGBTI people, including ‘‘corrective 
rape’’ of lesbian women, occurs all too frequently 
and with relative impunity. 
(7) In 2013, the Russian Duma passed a law 
banning so-called ‘‘homosexual propaganda’’, which 
effectively makes it a crime to publicly support 
LGBTI equality or even discuss homosexuality. This 
pernicious law is the basis for similar so-called 
‘‘antipropaganda’’ legislation in countries across 
Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including in 
Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus. 
(8) In December 2013, the Government of Ni-
geria adopted a law that further criminalized same- 
sex relations and support for LGBTI people, endan-
gering neighbors, friends, doctors, and landlords of 
LGBTI people. 
(9) Several countries in South Asia continue to 
have draconian laws that criminalize homosexual 
acts which place LGBTI people in danger and un-
dermines their ability to live free from persecution. 
(10) In April 2014, the Supreme Court of India 
recognized transgender people as a third gender, im-
proving the legal rights of transgender people in that 
country. Though an important step, the decision 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Jun 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6033.IH
H6033
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with BILLS
does not grant full legal rights to transgender peo-
ple. 
(11) In February 2014, the Government of 
Uganda adopted a law making ‘‘aggravated homo-
sexuality’’ a crime punishable with life imprisonment 
and concurrently, the Government of Uganda also 
passed laws severely limiting the basic freedoms of 
speech and assembly for LGBTI citizens. While the 
Constitutional Court overturned the Anti-Homosex-
uality Act on a technicality in August 2014, LGBTI 
Ugandans continue to be subjected to discrimination 
and violence, and their government has in recent 
years forcibly shut down even private Pride celebra-
tions in Kampala. 
(12) On April 1, 2017, the Russian newspaper 
Novaya Gazeta reported that the government of the 
autonomous republic of Chechnya had been arrest-
ing, detaining, and torturing gay and bisexual men 
in secret prisons since early 2017. International 
human rights groups and Russian LGBTI rights ac-
tivists estimate that as many as 20 people may have 
been murdered thus far and potentially over 200 
people were detained during the purge. 
(13) On May 23, 2017, two gay men were pub-
licly caned in the Indonesian province of Aceh, while 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Jun 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6033.IH
H6033
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with BILLS
thousands of spectators snapped pictures outside a 
mosque as the brutal punishment was meted out. 
Several times in 2017, Indonesian police have ar-
rested men at private parties, sometimes releasing 
their photographs to the news media, endangering 
their lives. 
(14) In September 2017, reports emerged from 
Azerbaijan that authorities had begun a crackdown 
on gay men and transgender women, arresting more 
than 60 and subjecting them to beatings, harass-
ment, torture, and blackmail. 
(15) In September 2017, Egyptian authorities 
arrested seven people for the ‘‘crime’’ of raising a 
rainbow flag at a concert in Cairo in September 
2017, leading to a wider crackdown on LGBTI 
Egyptians. 
(16) From September 2017 until the end of the 
year, over 70 LGBTI Egyptians were arrested, with 
dozens receiving prison sentences of up to 6 years. 
In late 2017, Egyptian authorities instructed local 
media to delete any positive references to LGBTI 
people, and lawmakers proposed a bill that would 
criminalize LGBTI people and their allies. 
(17) Anti-LGBTI laws not only endanger all 
LGBTI individuals, but also pose serious risks for 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Jun 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6033.IH
H6033
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with BILLS
those associated with or caring for LGBTI people. 
Studies have shown that when LGBTI people, espe-
cially LGBTI youth, face discrimination, they are 
less likely to seek HIV testing, prevention, and 
treatment services. 
(18) According to the Trans Murder Monitoring 
Project, which monitors homicides of transgender in-
dividuals, 2,343 transgender and gender-diverse peo-
ple were murdered between 2008 and 2016, in 69 
countries. Violence against transgender individuals is 
particularly 
alarming 
in 
Brazil, 
where 
938 
transgender individuals were murdered during this 
time span. 
(19) According to the International Guidelines 
on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, as published by 
the United Nations High Commissioner for Human 
Rights, and according to the July 2017 report of the 
Independent Expert on protection against violence 
and discrimination based on sexual orientation and 
gender identity, countries should review and reform 
criminal laws and correctional systems to ensure 
that they are consistent with international human 
rights obligations and are not misused or targeted 
against vulnerable groups. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Jun 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6033.IH
H6033
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with BILLS
(B) shall, notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, direct activities, policies, programs, 
and funding relating to the human rights of 
LGBTI people and the advancement of LGBTI 
equality initiatives internationally, for all bu-
reaus and offices of the Department of State 
and shall lead the coordination of relevant 
international programs for all other Federal 
agencies relating to such matters; 
(C) shall represent the United States in 
diplomatic matters relevant to the human rights 
of LGBTI people, including criminalization, dis-
crimination, and violence against LGBTI people 
internationally; 
(D) shall direct, as appropriate, United 
States Government resources to respond to 
needs for protection, integration, resettlement, 
and empowerment of LGBTI people in United 
States Government policies and international 
programs, including to prevent and respond to 
criminalization, discrimination, and violence 
against LGBTI people internationally; 
(E) shall design, support, and implement 
activities regarding support, education, resettle-
ment, and empowerment of LGBTI people 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Jun 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6033.IH
H6033
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with BILLS