[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6056 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6056
To establish in the Department of State a Special Envoy for the Human
Rights of LGBTQI+ Peoples, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 17, 2025
Mr. Garcia of California (for himself, Ms. Jacobs, Ms. DelBene, Mr.
Peters, Ms. DeGette, Mr. Castro of Texas, Ms. Matsui, Ms. Tlaib, Ms.
Pingree, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Amo, Mr. Magaziner, Ms. Davids of Kansas, Mr.
David Scott of Georgia, Mr. Veasey, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Schneider, Ms.
Underwood, Mr. Ruiz, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania,
Mr. Lieu, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Ms.
Jayapal, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Mullin, Mr.
Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Doggett, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Costa, Mr. Swalwell, Ms.
Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Sorensen, Mr. Goldman of New York, Mrs. Dingell,
Mr. Larsen of Washington, Ms. McBride, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Bell, Ms. Titus,
Ms. Ross, Mr. Neal, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Mannion, Ms. Craig, Mr.
DeSaulnier, Mr. Casten, Mr. Carson, Mrs. Hayes, Ms. Chu, Mr. Espaillat,
Mr. Lynch, Ms. McClellan, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Davis of
Illinois, Ms. Meng, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mr.
Carbajal, Mr. Moskowitz, Ms. Scholten, Ms. Ansari, Ms. Wasserman
Schultz, Ms. Pettersen, Ms. Dexter, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr.
Gottheimer, and Ms. Schakowsky) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish in the Department of State a Special Envoy for the Human
Rights of LGBTQI+ Peoples, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 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 2025''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Around the world, LGBTQI+ people face criminalization,
violence, discrimination, and stigma based on their sexual
orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics.
(2) 64 countries have national laws that criminalize same-
sex relations and at least 42 United Nations member states have
legal barriers for freedom of expression on issues related to
sexual and gender diversity. That is equal to roughly 35
percent of United Nations member states.
(3) 12 countries have jurisdictions in which the death
penalty can be imposed for private, consensual same-sex sexual
activity.
(4) Despite recent progress made toward decriminalization,
marriage equality, and legal gender recognition, several
countries have introduced anti-LGBTQI+ legislation that would
further criminalize or stigmatize LGBTQI+ people. This includes
a draconian bill under review in Ghana that would outlaw not
only LGBTQI+ relationships and identities, but also advocacy on
behalf of the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons.
(5) Human Rights Watch and other human rights organizations
have documented the use of the forensically discredited
practice of forced anal exams to try to substantiate
allegations of same-sex sexual activity. This humiliating
practice is typically conducted by law enforcement officials
working in tandem with medical personnel. The United Nations
Special Rapporteur on Torture has described forced anal
examinations as a form of torture or cruel, inhuman, and
degrading treatment, and the United Nations Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights issued a report in 2015 calling
for governments to ban the practice.
(6) Across the world, freedom of association is
increasingly under attack, with the passage and enforcement of
laws that prevent or revoke the registration of non-
governmental organizations, particularly those working to
advance and defend the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons.
(7) Extreme violence and insecurity in Latin America has
driven LGBTQI+ people to flee their countries of origin to the
United States for protection. Yet LGBTQI+ asylum seekers are
routinely denied entry and face additional violence, and many
have been returned to face persecution in their home countries
or in third countries that are not safe.
(8) Laws, policies, and practices that criminalize and
stigmatize LGBTQI+ people deter individuals and communities
from seeking health care. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have
sex with men and transgender people are particularly vulnerable
to discrimination and exclusion in health care settings,
thereby increasing risk of HIV transmission. Decriminalization
and stigma reduction are necessary to achieve global targets
for epidemic control of HIV.
(9) The Trans Murder Monitoring Project, which monitors
homicides of transgender individuals, documented at least 350
trans and gender-diverse people killed between October 1, 2023,
and September 30, 2024. Of these cases, 73 percent of murders
occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean, with 30 percent of
the total occurring in Brazil.
(10) Intersex people are subject to medically unnecessary
surgeries, often without prior and informed consent, leading to
lifelong medical complications and increased mistrust of health
care providers. Intersex people experience widespread
discrimination and lack of understanding about their medical
needs.
(11) Violence and discrimination based on sexual
orientation, gender identity (including gender expression), and
sex characteristics are documented in the Department of State's
annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The report
covering 2023 continues to show a clear pattern of human rights
violations or abuses in every region of the world based on
sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics.
These violations or abuses include murder, rape, torture, death
threats, extortion, and imprisonment, as well as loss of
employment, housing, access to health care, and other forms of
societal stigma and discrimination. The reports further
document LGBTQI+-specific restrictions on basic freedoms of
assembly, press, and speech in every region of the world.
(12) 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
LGBTI+ persons.
(13) On February 4, 2021, President Joe Biden issued a
similar memorandum, the ``Memorandum on Advancing the Human
Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and
Intersex Persons Around the World'', to promote and protect the
human rights of LGBTQI+ persons and establish that it is the
``policy of the United States to pursue an end to violence and
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender
identity or expression, or sex characteristics, and to lead by
the power of our example in the cause of advancing the human
rights of LGBTQI+ persons around the world''.
(14) On February 23, 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry
appointed senior diplomat Randy Berry as the Department of
State's first-ever Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI
Persons. No person was named to that position during the Trump
Administration.
(15) On June 25, 2021, President Joe Biden announced the
appointment of Jessica Stern to serve as the United States
Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons.
She joined the Department of State on September 27, 2021.
(16) On June 30, 2016, the United Nations Human Rights
Council passed a resolution cosponsored by the United States
that established an Independent Expert on violence and
discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
to help monitor and track discrimination and violence
experienced by LGBTQI+ persons around the world.
(17) In May 2020, the United Nations Independent Expert on
protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual
orientation and gender identity released a report on so-called
``conversion therapy'', which is an umbrella term used to
describe interventions based on a belief that a person's sexual
orientation or gender identity can and should be changed. The
report concluded that such practices represent significant
violations of rights to personal autonomy, health, and free
expression and are ``by their very nature degrading, inhuman
and cruel and create a significant risk of torture''. The
Independent Expert noted ``the psychological pain and suffering
inflicted by practices of `conversion therapy' are deep and
long-lasting and often exacerbate the risk of suicide'', and
called for a global ban on conversion therapy.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States--
(1) to take effective action to prevent and respond to
discrimination and violence against all people on any basis
internationally, including sexual orientation, gender identity,
and sex characteristics, and that human rights policy includes
attention to criminalization, violence, and other
discrimination against LGBTQI+ people;
(2) to systematically integrate and coordinate into United
States foreign policy efforts to prevent and respond to
criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+
people internationally;
(3) to support and build local capacity in countries around
the world, including of governments at all levels and
nongovernmental organizations, to prevent and respond to
criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+
people internationally;
(4) to consult, cooperate, coordinate, and collaborate with
a wide variety of nongovernmental partners, including faith-
based organizations and LGBTQI+-led organizations, with
demonstrated experience in preventing and responding to
criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+
people internationally;
(5) to employ a multisectoral approach to preventing and
responding to criminalization, discrimination, and violence
against LGBTQI+ people internationally, including activities in
the economic, education, health, nutrition, legal, and judicial
sectors;
(6) to work at all levels, from the individual to the
family, community, local, national, and international levels,
to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and
violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally;
(7) to enhance training by United States personnel of
professional foreign military and police forces and judicial
officials to include appropriate and thorough LGBTQI+-specific
instruction on preventing and responding to criminalization,
discrimination, and violence based on sexual orientation,
gender identity, and sex characteristics;
(8) to engage non-LGBTQI+ people as allies and partners, as
an essential element of making sustained reductions in
criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+
people internationally;
(9) to require that all recipients of United States
Government Federal funding, including all contractors, grants,
and cooperative agreements for both acquisition and assistance,
establish appropriate nondiscrimination policies that are
inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex
characteristics, among other characteristics and protected
statuses, and take effective measures to ensure the protection
and safety of employed and contracted staff, as well as
protection of the program beneficiaries;
(10) to exert sustained international leadership, including
in bilateral and multilateral fora, to prevent and respond to
criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+
people internationally;
(11) to ensure that international efforts to combat HIV/
AIDS take all appropriate measures to support at-risk
communities, including LGBTQI+ people, and to create enabling
legal environments for these communities;
(12) to work with governments and nongovernmental
organizations around the world to develop and implement
regional strategies to decriminalize homosexuality and to
counteract other restrictions on the human rights of LGBTQI+
people, including restrictions on LGBTQI+ organizations and so-
called LGBTQI+ propaganda laws; and
(13) to ensure that individuals who have a well-founded
fear of persecution on account of being LGBTQI+ or supporting
LGBTQI+ rights have the opportunity to seek protection in the
United States.
SEC. 4. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF LGBTQI+ PEOPLE.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of State shall establish in
the Department of State a permanent Special Envoy for the Human
Rights of LGBTQI+ People (in this section referred to as the
``Special Envoy''), who shall be appointed by the President.
(2) Rank.--The President may appoint the Special Envoy at
the rank of Ambassador, by and with the advice and consent of
the Senate.
(b) Purpose.--In addition to the duties described in subsection (c)
and those duties determined by the President and the Secretary of
State, the Special Envoy shall direct efforts of the United States
Government relating to United States foreign policy, as directed by the
President and the Secretary, regarding human rights abuses against
LGBTQI+ people and communities internationally and the advancement of
human rights for LGBTQI+ people, and shall represent the United States
internationally in bilateral and multilateral engagement on such
matters.
(c) Duties.--The Special Envoy--
(1) shall serve as the principal advisor to the Secretary
of State regarding the human rights of LGBTQI+ people
internationally; and
(2) at the direction of the Secretary of State--
(A) shall, notwithstanding any other provision of
law, direct activities, policies, programs, and funding
relating to the human rights of LGBTQI+ people and the
advancement of LGBTQI+ human rights and social
inclusion initiatives internationally, for all bureaus
and offices of the Department of State, and shall lead
the coordination of relevant United States Government
policies and international programs for all other
Federal agencies relating to such matters;
(B) shall represent the United States in diplomatic
matters, including in bilateral and multilateral
forums, relevant to the human rights and social
inclusion of LGBTQI+ people, including addressing
criminalization, discrimination, and violence against
LGBTQI+ people internationally;
(C) shall direct, as appropriate, United States
Government resources to respond to needs for
protection, integration, resettlement, and empowerment
of LGBTQI+ people in United States Government policies
and international programs, including to prevent and
respond to criminalization, discrimination, and
violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally;
(D) shall lead interagency coordination on the
foreign policy, humanitarian, and development
priorities related to the human rights of LGBTQI+
people internationally; and
(E) shall conduct regular consultation with
nongovernmental organizations working to prevent and
respond to criminalization, discrimination, and
violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally.
(d) Briefings and Assessments.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Special
Envoy shall provide to the appropriate congressional committees a
briefing on the status of the human rights and social inclusion of
LGBTQI+ people internationally, as well as on the status of programs
and response strategies of the United States Government to address
criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people
internationally.
(e) United States Policy To Prevent and Respond to Criminalization,
Discrimination, and Violence Against LGBTQI+ People Globally.--
(1) Global strategy requirement.--Not later than 180 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and bi-annually
thereafter, the Special Envoy shall develop or update, as the
case may be, a United States global strategy to prevent and
respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence
against LGBTQI+ people internationally. The Special Envoy shall
submit the global strategy to the appropriate congressional
committees and, if practicable, make the global strategy
available to the public.
(2) Collaboration and coordination.--In developing the
global strategy required under paragraph (1), the Special Envoy
shall consult with--
(A) mid- and high-level officials of relevant
Federal agencies; and
(B) representatives of nongovernmental
organizations with demonstrated experience in
addressing criminalization, discrimination, and
violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally, or
promoting equal rights and social inclusion for LGBTQI+
people internationally.
(f) Monitoring the United States Strategy To Prevent and Respond to
Criminalization, Discrimination, and Violence Against LGBTQI+ People
and Communities Internationally.--In each global strategy submitted
under subsection (e), the Spe