Blinken: It’s in Our National Security Interest to Stand for LGBTQ+ Persons Around the World

Blinken: “But it’s in our national security interest to stand up for LGBTQI+ persons around the world. When nations came together 75 years ago, they affirmed, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, respect for the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family. That’s the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. And we see that here at the State Department every single day. Countries that respect the rights of every individual tend to be more stable, more healthy, more democratic, more prosperous. Those that discriminate against LGBTQI+ persons tend to be less free and tend to be less equal. The correlation is as clear as day. 64 countries currently criminalize consensual sex, same-sex conduct between adults. In 11 of them, having same-sex relations is punishable by death.”