USAID Administrator Samantha Power on April 18. (Screen capture via House Appropriations Committee YouTube)
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has introduced a bill that would abolish the U.S. Agency for International Development because it promotes LGBTQ and intersex rights around the world.
The bill, among other things, notes USAID “operates several ‘capacity building’ programs abroad and uses these programs to spread perverse ideology that is antithetical to (a) functioning, well-ordered society” and “aims to identify and address ‘restrictive gender norms and inequalities … to foster the sustainability of results.”
U.S. Reps. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) have co-sponsored the bill that Gaetz introduced on Aug. 1. It has been referred to the House Foreign Affairs and Appropriations Committees.
President Joe Biden in February 2021 signed a memo that committed the U.S. to promoting LGBTQ and intersex rights abroad as part of his administration’s overall foreign policy. USAID earlier this month released its first-ever policy for LGBTQ and intersex-inclusive development that has the following four pillars.
• Supporting locally-led programmatic approaches that advance USAID’s commitment to localization
• Using USAID’s global development diplomacy to drive progress on LGBTQI+ inclusive development both within and beyond the agency’s programming
• Prioritizing evidence-based LGBTQI+ programming and approaches and strengthening responses through data
• Improving USAID’s response to crises that impact LGBTQI+ persons and communities
U.S. Reps. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) are among the lawmakers who have introduced bills in this Congress that would require the U.S. to promote LGBTQ and intersex rights abroad. Embattled U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) — an openly gay Republican who federal prosecutors in May indicted on 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to the U.S. House of Representatives — has put forth a measure that would ban the U.S. from providing aid to countries with laws that criminalize LGBTQ people and women.
“For more than six decades, USAID and Congress have worked closely together to create a more stable, prosperous world,” a USAID spokesperson told the Washington Blade on Aug. 22 in a statement. “We value the strong bipartisan support for USAID’s work, which has helped accelerate tremendous progress in reducing extreme poverty around the world, fighting disease, addressing hunger, helping millions of children access quality education and supporting emerging democracies.”
“The United States is committed to supporting human rights, social inclusion and fundamental freedoms, including for members of historically marginalized populations,” added the spokesperson. “As part of this commitment, USAID works with our partners on the ground to advance LGBTQI+-inclusive development and the rights of LGBTQI+ people. Through our work and partnerships over many decades and in countries around the world, we know that advancing respect for human rights and individual dignity makes societies stronger, healthier, more prosperous and more capable of peacefully resolving differences.”
The National LGBT Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more here: NationalLGBTMediaAssociation.com
