Mild U.S. advocacy for LGBTQI rights abroad: Island nations
SEVENTH IN A SERIES: United States officials in four varied island nations have been nudging those nations toward recognition of the human rights of their LGBTQ citizens.
This is the seventh in an eight-part series focusing on the impact of President Joe Biden’s February 2021 order to U.S. government agencies to “promote and protect the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons around the world.” In April 2022, a total of 14 U.S. departments and agencies, ranging from the State Department to the Peace Corps, combined to create a comprehensive report about what they have done in response to that presidential order.
Related commentary: “Biden is silent when a loud message on global LGBT rights is needed” (Erasing 76 Crimes, November 2021)
Today’s post includes the report’s descriptions of U.S. officials’ activity in Jamaica, Tonga, Maldives and Indonesia — four island nations where homosexual activity is illegal (in the case of Indonesia, in part of the country):
In Jamaica, PEPFAR funded a three-day planning workshop in November and partnered with UNAIDS and an NGO to address HIV-related stigma and discrimination, including in its intersection with LGBTQI+ stigma and discrimination. During the workshop, LGBTQI+ advocacy organizations shared best practices and lessons learned from their advocacy efforts and identified opportunities for collaboration in 2022. Participants discussed the purpose and impact of the UNHRC Universal Periodic Review, pending anti-discrimination legislation, and a potential National Human Rights Institute. Participants also crafted an action plan for the 2022 Enabling Environment and Human Rights agenda.
The Peace Corps Tonga team celebrated National Coming Out Day by hosting a discussion and training session with Tongan and international LGBTQI+ activist Joey Siosaia Joleen Mataele, the executive director and co-founder of the Tonga Leitis’ Association, which advocates for the LGBTQI+ rights in Tonga. During the session, the team explored the LGBTQI+ context in Tonga, SOGIE language and terminology, and discussed the importance of building intercultural support strategies to be effective and culturally appropriate allies to the LGBTQI+ community.
Peace Corps Tonga and Peace Corps Cambodia hosted host-country transgender LGBTQI+ activists who led educational workshops for their teams (October and November 2021, respectively).
USAID/Indonesia has been praised by LGBTQI+ activists for supporting legal aid organizations across the country.
In Maldives, since issuance of the February 4, 2021, Presidential Memorandum, the situation of LGBTQI+ Persons in Maldives has remained relatively unchanged, with continued sensitivities surrounding the issue. Religiously inspired laws are strict, with the penal code imposing severe penalties for same-sex conduct. The country has no organizations focused on LGBTQI+ rights, with the only outlet being social media. Post has seen some social media postings by citizens that promote LGBTQI+ expression, though these postings are rare and face strict social criticism. Post has continued to prioritize addressing the use of threatening rhetoric by religious freedom and faith-based NGOs and fundamentalist scholars to target human rights defenders, civil society activists, and those who oppose strict interpretations of Islam.
