Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All
On December 10th, we celebrate Human Rights Day, on the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
For LGBTQI+ people in the United States and around the world, this has certainly been a challenging year, from war zones and refugee camps to rampant legislative assaults on our basic human rights to a surge in homophobic and transphobic violence. Given this, the theme of Human Rights Day 2022 — Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All — is more urgent than ever.
Earlier this year, the Council for Global Equality and the Franklin & Marshall College Global Barometers teamed up to create the Global Barometers LGBTQI+ Perception Index (GBPI)* and measure the lived realities of LGBTQI+ individuals across the planet by asking six simple questions about how safe and secure they feel and whether they have experienced discrimination and violence. The results are calculated on a grading scale from 0-100%, with A being the highest and F the lowest. These results were deeply concerning. No country received an A grade, with Iceland scoring the highest grade of B (86%). The United States scored a C (70%) on our scale.
But as we celebrate Human Rights Day this year, there are some larger trends that give us a sense of hope. We continue to see legal progress, in all corners of the world, towards the decriminalization of homosexuality, the recognition of marriage equality, and the expansion of transgender and intersex rights. We continue to see cultural attitudes shifting — sometimes quickly, sometimes more gradually — in favor of LGBTQI+ inclusion, again in Global North and Global South alike.
Despite the proliferation this year of anti-LGBTQI+ laws and policies globally, including more than 200 anti-LGBTQI+ bills introduced in state legislatures here in the United States, on this day in particular, we want to recognize several key trends that inspire us and feed our optimism. These three trends share one thing in common: divide-and-conquer tactics are failing.
First, more and more, activists are folding the call for LGBTQI+ rights into claims to full citizenship and democratic accountability. For too long, authoritarian politicians and right-wing religious figures have sought to separate LGBTQI+ rights from the full spectrum of political, social, and cultural rights. But from the grassroots to the halls of parliaments, human rights defenders are starting from the premise that the rights of LGBTQI+ citizens are indeed fundamental human rights and are foundational in any inclusive democracy. At 2023’s Summit for Democracy, we have an important opportunity for world leaders to advance the full inclusion and citizenship of LGBTQI+ people as part of the alliance to defend and promote democracy in the face of surging authoritarianism.
Second, we’re all familiar with the religious extremists who are front and center in the global movement against LGBTQI+ and women’s rights. But progressive grassroots faith networks are pushing back against religious-based intolerance. Moreover, the grassroots movement continues to build working relationships with prominent pro-LGBTQI+ faith leaders. From the grassroots up and the top down, we are hearing the clarion message that welcoming LGBTQI+ people is a core tenet of a generous faith, and that truly resilient, inclusive democracies are the best guarantors of both LGBTQI+ rights and the right to practice one’s religion.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, despite the cynical use of transphobia by anti-LGBTQI+ forces to divide lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals from transgender people, whether in the United States, the United Kingdom (perhaps most infamously), or elsewhere in the world, our community refuses to be divided. Here in the United States, where more than 35 states considered 200+ anti-LGBTQI bills — the majority of which specifically targeted trans people — our LGBTQI+ community stands united in support of transgender and nonbinary Americans who are being stripped of rights and opportunities and butchered in our streets and nightclubs. The global LGBTQI+ movement similarly refuses to be divided by the anti-gender ideologies that flatly deny the existence of — let alone the human rights of — transgender persons. Our unity remains our greatest strength.
So, on this Human Rights Day, let’s all take a moment to celebrate the victories we’ve won. The challenges we face are real, but this year reminds us that we are truly stronger together when we’re fighting for dignity, freedom, and justice for all.
* The full results of the Global Barometers Perception Index (GBPI) are forthcoming in early 2023 and will be available on www.lgbtqiperceptionindex.org. To view the Global Barometers of Gay Rights (GBGR) and the Global Barometer of Transgender Rights (GBTR), visit www.fandmglobalbarometers.org. For questions about the F&M Global Barometers, please contact gbgr@fandm.edu.