McBride, Fitzpatrick Reintroduce Bipartisan Global Respect Act with 119 Cosponsors to Hold Perpetrators of Anti-LGBTQI+ Violence Accountable

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Sarah McBride (D-DE) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) reintroduced the bipartisan Global Respect Act, joined by 119 members of Congress as original cosponsors. The legislation that empowers the United States to hold individuals and entities accountable for egregious human rights violations committed against LGBTQI+ people around the world. 

The bill directs the U.S. government to identify and sanction foreign persons who are responsible for torture, arbitrary detention, physical attacks, murder, and other flagrant abuses against LGBTQI+ individuals. It also requires annual human rights reporting from the State Department and strengthens coordination with foreign governments, civil society, and the private sector to prevent anti-LGBTQI+ persecution.

“Freedom and dignity should never depend on your zip code or who holds power in your country,” said Rep. McBride. “Yet nearly one-third of nations still criminalize LGBTQI+ people, and far too many look away from the violence that follows. The Global Respect Act reaffirms a simple truth: no one should be targeted for who they are or whom they love. This bill strengthens America’s voice on human rights. I'm grateful to Congressman Fitzpatrick for his partnership and to the advocates who continue pushing for the basic safety and humanity every person deserves.”

“No person should ever face imprisonment, violence, or discrimination on the basis of who they are. The Global Respect Act imposes real and necessary sanctions on those who carry out these abuses and strengthens America’s resolve to uphold basic human rights worldwide. I’m proud to join Congresswoman McBride in this effort to ensure every individual is afforded safety, freedom, and equal justice,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick.

“As we mark Transgender Day of Remembrance, we reaffirm that no one, no matter where they live in the world, should be persecuted or subjected to violence simply because of who they are or whom they love,” said Mark Bromley, Co-Chair of the Council for Global Equality. “The Global Respect Act seeks to hold the world’s worst perpetrators of violence against LGBTQI+ people accountable by leveraging our sanctions regimes to uphold the human rights of all people. The Council for Global Equality is grateful to have champions in Representative Sarah McBride and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick to defend a bipartisan commitment to the rights of LGBTQI+ people as universal human rights.”

Background on the Global Respect Act

• Approximately one-third of countries worldwide criminalize consensual same-sex relations, including 12 nations where such laws carry the possibility of the death penalty.
• LGBTQI+ individuals around the world face discrimination, harassment, arbitrary arrest, physical attacks, and murder at alarming rates.
• The Global Respect Act provides the President authority to impose targeted sanctions on human rights violators and requires public reporting to enhance transparency and accountability.
• The bill would also require the annual State Department Report on Human Rights to include reporting on the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons, with specific attention to violence and restrictions on fundamental freedoms.
• The bill is endorsed by more than a dozen leading human rights organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign, Amnesty International USA, the Council for Global Equality, Outright International, and The Trevor Project. 

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