Letter to Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State, and John Barsa, Acting Administrator USAID - Senator Markey and Rep. Titus Lead Colleagues in Urging State Department, USAID to Protect Global LGBTQI Population During Coronavirus Pandemic

Letter

Dear Mr. Secretary and Acting Administrator Barsa:

Evidence suggests the COVID-19 pandemic is having disproportionate impacts on marginalized
populations around the globe. How our government responds will be seen as a test of our
country's commitment to the protection of human rights and American values of fairness
and equality. As members of Congress concerned with the plight of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) individuals abroad, we ask the Administration to take
the following steps, on an urgent basis, to reaffirm American support for the protection of human
rights worldwide as our country responds to the crisis:

1. Intervene at senior levels with governments that are using the COVID-19 crisis
to persecute or discriminate against LGBTQI and other marginalized
communities. Many governments are using the pandemic as an excuse to restrict
fundamental human rights. We trust that you and other officials will express concern
about these problematic exercises of government power. In that context, we ask that
you specifically note instances in which COVID-19 restrictions are being used to
further marginalize and criminalize LGBTQI individuals and communities. For
example, Ugandan authorities raided a homeless youth shelter in March, arresting 19
LGBTQI people and charging them with "a negligent act likely to spread infection of
disease" simply for living in a shelter; and those arrested have been denied access to
legal services. We understand that this case, documented by Human Rights Watch and
other non-profit organizations, has been shared with your Assistant Secretary for
Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL). We ask that you urge foreign ministers
and other officials to ensure that their COVID-19-related responses respect individual
liberties and democratic rights.

2. Guarantee the inclusion of LGBTQI populations in short- and long-term
response and recovery programming and urge international partners to adopt a
parallel approach. Due to stigma, discrimination, and harassment, many LGBTQI
individuals and other vulnerable populations are forced to support themselves and
their families through the informal economy. Restrictions aimed at preventing the
spread of COVID-19 have placed a large burden on those in the informal economy,
cutting off income streams and preventing them from obtaining food or secure shelter.
As a result, the pandemic has heightened the vulnerability of LGBTQI and other
marginalized populations to poverty, food insecurity, and homelessness. At the same
time, some governments, as documented in Panama and in Bogotá, Colombia, are
using gender to determine when citizens are allowed to leave their homes for essential
services such as shopping for food, resulting in arbitrary arrests of trans and gender
non-conforming people and harassment and discrimination by police, security guards,
and private businesses. We ask that you encourage Ambassadors, in their dialogue
with host governments, to raise the importance of ensuring that all segments of society
are considered in efforts to respond to this global pandemic, and that policies include
clear statements of non-discrimination.

3. Support measures to ensure safe, healthy, and sustained access to health services,
including treatment for HIV and other COVID-exacerbating conditions, as well
as other necessary healthcare services, including sexual and reproductive health.
Globally, LGBTQI people face higher rates of underlying health conditions that have
been shown to exacerbate the mortality rate of COVID-19. Gay and bisexual men and
transgender women also face higher rates of HIV, requiring long-term treatment and
care. In many cases, restrictions on movement and the reduction of public
transportation in countries around the world have limited access to HIV treatment and
prevention services and other necessary health services, including sexual and
reproductive health care. Criminalization of HIV transmission, including in Poland
where additional criminal sanctions were recently added for HIV transmission as part
of a COVID response, also inhibit people from seeking critical care. In addition to
these barriers, LGBTQI people and other vulnerable populations face stigma and
discrimination in obtaining healthcare services, especially in countries where samesex sexual conduct or non-normative gender expression is criminalized. This hinders
access to lifesaving healthcare services and puts their lives at even greater risk during
this pandemic. We ask that you ensure that U.S.-provided global health programming,
including delivery of health-related goods and services, is carried out in a nondiscriminatory manner promoting respect for the most vulnerable, including LGBTQI
people; and that State Department and USAID representatives actively encourage
foreign counterparts to do the same.

We appreciate the attention of the Department and USAID to the unprecedented challenge ahead
of us, and we urge you to seize this critical moment to reaffirm inclusive U.S. values.

Sincerely,