H.R. 6056 — International Human Rights Defense Act of 2025

This section declares congressional findings on global criminalization, violence, discrimination, and stigma faced by LGBTQI+ persons, including that 64 countries criminalize same-sex relations, 42 UN member states (roughly 35%) restrict expression on sexual and gender diversity, and 12 countries impose the death penalty for consensual same-sex activity. The section further documents 350 transgender and gender-diverse murders worldwide from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024 (73% in Latin America and the Caribbean); medically unnecessary surgeries on intersex persons; U.S. asylum challenges for LGBTQI+ individuals from Latin America; health care barriers increasing HIV risks; attacks on NGOs; and U.S. policy efforts, including presidential memoranda (2011 and 2021), Special Envoys for LGBTQI+ rights (2015 and 2021), and UN Human Rights Council actions (2016).

This section declares it to be the policy of the United States to take effective action to prevent and respond to discrimination, criminalization, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally. The policy directs integration of such efforts into U.S. foreign policy; capacity building for governments and nongovernmental organizations; multisectoral approaches across economic, education, health, legal, and other sectors; enhanced training for foreign military, police, and judicial personnel; nondiscrimination requirements for all recipients of U.S. funding; international leadership; support for HIV/AIDS efforts targeting at-risk communities; regional strategies to decriminalize homosexuality and counter restrictions on LGBTQI+ rights; and asylum opportunities for those fearing persecution on account of being LGBTQI+ or supporting LGBTQI+ rights.

This section establishes in the Department of State a permanent Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ People, appointed by the President (optionally at the rank of Ambassador, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate), to serve as the principal advisor to the Secretary of State on the human rights of LGBTQI+ people internationally and to direct U.S. foreign policy efforts to address related abuses, criminalization, discrimination, and violence. The Special Envoy must (1) direct Department of State activities, policies, programs, and funding on these matters across all bureaus and offices and lead interagency coordination with other federal agencies; (2) represent the U.S. in bilateral and multilateral forums; (3) direct resources for protection, integration, resettlement, and empowerment of LGBTQI+ people; and (4) consult regularly with relevant nongovernmental organizations. This section further requires the Special Envoy to provide briefings to the appropriate congressional committees within 180 days of enactment and annually thereafter on the status of LGBTQI+ human rights internationally and U.S. programs; to develop or update a global strategy to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people within 180 days of enactment and bi-annually thereafter (in consultation with relevant federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations, with submission to congressional committees and public release if practicable); and to include in each strategy an analysis of promising practices, successful efforts by foreign governments and nongovernmental organizations, related recommendations, and the impact of funded activities.

This section amends annual human rights reporting requirements under section 116(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 by adding a new paragraph (13) and under section 502B by adding a new subsection (k), in both cases requiring—wherever applicable—information on the nature and extent of criminalization, discrimination, and violence by state and non-state actors based on sexual orientation or gender identity (as defined in section 7 of the International Human Rights Defense Act of 2025) or sex characteristics. The reports must identify countries with laws or constitutional provisions that criminalize or discriminate on such bases and describe those laws and provisions. (As background, these State Department reports inform Congress on human rights practices in countries receiving U.S. development or security assistance, including eligibility determinations under human rights restrictions.)

This section authorizes the Secretary of State to provide assistance to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally through the following activities: (1) development and implementation of assistance programs responding to human rights abuses against, and the social and economic exclusion of, LGBTQI+ people; (2) support and capacity building for foreign governments to develop and enforce laws pertaining to relevant civil and criminal sanctions, protections, and training; (3) enhancement of health sector capacity to detect, prevent, and respond to violence against LGBTQI+ people and communities, and to combat HIV/AIDS in the LGBTQI+ community, in coordination with the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy of the Department of State; and (4) development of a leadership program for international LGBTQI+ activists to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing.

This section defines terms used in the Act, including: (1) “appropriate congressional committees” as the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Appropriations and the House Committees on Foreign Affairs and Appropriations; (2) “gender identity” as the gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, regardless of the individual’s designated sex at birth; (3) “intersex” as individuals born with sex characteristics (including genitals, gonads, or chromosome patterns) that vary from typical binary notions of male or female bodies; (4) “LGBTQI+” as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex; and (5) “sexual orientation” as actual or perceived homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality.