Advocacy groups have applauded the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Administrator Gayle Smith for ensuring that LGBT people will have equal access to services and aid delivered by contractors and sub-contractors of USAID that work internationally. This policy, announced Wednesday in a speech by National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice at American University in Washington, D.C., provides critical nondiscrimination protections ensuring that LGBT people can fully benefit from global development programs and efforts of the United States.
“The unshakeable conviction that all people are equally endowed with fundamental and irrevocable rights has been central to our nation from the beginning,” said Rice. “The story of America is one of striving to fulfill our ideals and always gradually expanding the circle of inclusion; it stretches from Selma to Stonewall to frontiers yet to come. For me, this issue is deeply personal. As the daughter of proud citizens who suffered the indignities of Jim Crow, I never forget that I stand here today because those who came before me pried open doors that had long been shut to people who looked like me. As a public servant and as a mother, I don’t want my children, or anyone else’s, to be limited by how they look, who they worship, or whom they love.
“As President Obama has said, “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law—for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.” Of course, it has taken generations of protest and struggle to begin to realize that vision. Many have fallen in the battle that continues, heroes like Harvey Milk, Eric Lembembe, Xulhaz Mannan, and too many others. Matthew Shepherd—killed for the crime of being himself—would have turned 40 this year.
“Whether we are talking about race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, this fight for equal rights is what our history and values demand. It is also profoundly in our interests. If we reduce the disparities that can lead to instability and violence, we increase our shared security. Countries do better—across every metric—when they tap the talents of all their people. A 2014 USAID study estimates that expanding rights for a country’s LGBT population is associated with an increase in GDP. So, advancing equality is both morally right and strategically smart.”
“We applaud the Obama administration for taking a bold and principled stand to ensure that American foreign aid dollars cannot be used to discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people,” said Robert Bank, President and CEO of American Jewish World Service. “As an organization that supports advocacy efforts for the human rights for LGBT communities in 13 developing countries and provides disaster relief alongside USAID, AJWS understand how badly this new non-discrimination policy is needed. Too often, we have witnessed how LGBT people are cut off from aid because of discrimination by USAID contractors and international aid organizations. We believe that foreign aid must be delivered fairly and justly to all in need, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
“Crucially, USAID’s new anti-discrimination policy provides a strong model for the more than 20 executive agencies of the federal government that distribute foreign assistance dollars,” Bank said. “We urge the President and the Obama Administration to build on this new non-discrimination policy and require all aid agencies to adopt full non-discrimination clauses in their contracting, grantmaking and procurement policies. These policies should apply both nationally and internationally, pertain to agency contractors and grantees, and strive to prohibit both discrimination against LGBT people in the provision of services as well as employment. USAID’s new non-discrimination policy in contracting services brings us one step closer to using the power of U.S. government and its funds to pursue international development as inclusively as possible.”
The Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus also applauded the USAID announcement.
“On behalf of the LGBT Equality Caucus, I thank USAID for this critical nondiscrimination rule,” said LGBT Equality Caucus Co-Chair Rep. David Cicilline (RI – 1). “Both here in the United States and abroad, LGBT people are routinely targets of violence and discrimination. USAID’s latest rule shows the world that we take the wellbeing of LGBT people seriously, and that we will not tolerate denying LGBT people critical services.”
“I am happy to hear of USAID’s latest rule,” said LGBT Equality Caucus Vice-Chair Rep. Alan Lowenthal (CA – 47). “U.S. foreign assistance is a critical part of our mission to promote human rights across the globe, and LGBT individuals are often those in dire need of these services. USAID’s rule ensures that all marginalized communities can access its programs without fear of being turned away arbitrarily.”
By explicitly including sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes, USAID is ensuring that LGBT communities across the world are able to access its often life-saving services, spanning from HIV/AIDS treatment to food aid. This rule reinforces the U.S.’s commitment to equality, fairness, and dignity, and shows that the U.S. government does not tolerate discrimination of any kind. USAID’s latest nondiscrimination rule follows other efforts by the administration to promote and protect the rights of LGBT persons across the world, and to ensure equality broadly.
