[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 103 (Wednesday, June 3, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2692-S2693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA, TRANSPHOBIA AND BIPHOBIA

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I rise to mark the start of LGBT 
Pride Month with reflections on the recent International Day against 
Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia--IDAHOBIT. For more than 50 years, 
Pride Month has been a reminder that, despite recent progress, every 
day, millions of people around the world face social stigmatization, 
legal prosecution, and even violence based on their sexual orientation 
or because of their gender identity. COVID-19 is necessitating 
adjustments to how this month is celebrated, with organizers moving 
large-scale parades from the streets of towns and cities to the 
internet, where a 24-hour online Global Pride celebration is planned 
for later this month.
  Two short weeks ago was the annual commemoration of the International 
Day against Homophobia, Transphobia

[[Page S2693]]

and Biphobia--IDAHOBIT. Started on May 17, 2004, IDAHOBIT was 
established by LGBTQ activists in 2004 to commemorate the World Health 
Organization's historic decision in 1990 to remove homosexuality from 
the International Classification of Diseases. As in the United States, 
despite the progress we have made since 1990, around the world, 
homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia continue to flourish in many 
parts of the world.
  The theme of this year's International Day against Homophobia, 
Transphobia and Biphobia was ``Breaking the Silence.'' Millions of 
LGBTQ individuals around the world continue to be forced to hide their 
identities because of who they are or whom they love. They struggle to 
achieve the most basic of human rights, let alone respect and 
visibility. The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and 
Intersex Association--ILGA--lists 70 countries in which same-sex 
activities are outlawed, and penalties range from 8 years' imprisonment 
to the death penalty. Even in countries that do not criminalize 
homosexuality, many still have laws on the books that make living 
openly next to impossible. Only five countries, of which the United 
States is not one, ban the damaging practice of conversion therapy.
  This type of discrimination has only been compounded by the global 
outbreak of COVID-19. In addition to the widespread health and economic 
hardship that this pandemic is creating, it is producing new risks and 
forms of persecution for the LGBTQ community.
  In Uganda, security forces stormed an LGBTQ shelter, binding the 
occupants' hands with rope before marching them to a nearby police 
station on charges of disobeying social distancing rules. In Latin 
America, transgender, nonbinary, and queer people who present as 
gender-nonconforming are being detained or fined for going to the 
grocery store on days designated by the government as ``men-only'' or 
``women-only.'' Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has used the 
pandemic as an excuse to move legislation that will ban the legal 
recognition of transgender citizens. Meanwhile, in South Korea, there 
is a disturbing rise in online hate speech blaming the LGBTQ community 
for spreading the coronavirus. A number of religious leaders around the 
world have cruelly attributed the spread of COVID-19 to divine 
retribution for recognition of same-sex marriages.
  The COVID-19 pandemic will eventually fade, but the abuse of LGBTQ 
people will continue unless we come together as a global community to 
put an end to it. Historically, the United States has been a strong 
international leader on issues of human rights like this one. However, 
the current administration's neglect of LGBTQ rights, both at home and 
abroad, has hurt our credibility and diminished our power to make 
positive change.
  Within the United States, the Trump administration has issued rules 
sanctioning employment, housing, medical, and other forms of 
discrimination based on gender identity. It has also repeatedly used 
religious liberty as a shield to enable discrimination on the basis of 
sexual orientation. On a global scale, the administration has attempted 
to undermine internationally recognized definitions of human rights 
through the U.S. State Department's Commission on Inalienable Rights 
and turned a blind eye to the persecution of LGBTQ people in other 
countries. It is said that you can measure the strength of a democracy 
by the rights it affords to marginalized communities, these actions do 
not reflect the strong democracy that we strive to be.
  Looking at the state of the world today, it is clear that we need 
more champions for LGBTQ rights on the international stage. We need 
more leaders to break the silence and speak up for everyone's right to 
live truly as themselves. This Pride Month, I am hopeful that the 
United States will once again be one of those voices. For my part, I 
will keep fighting to protect LGBTQ rights at home and around the 
globe, so that all people can pursue happiness and love without fear.

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