Trump Administration Leads Effort To Decriminalize Homosexuality Around The World
The Trump administration, led by U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, is reportedly launching an effort to decriminalize homosexuality in dozens of countries across the world.
The administration is launching the campaign Tuesday evening in Berlin and will fly in a number of European LGBT activists to discuss how to end laws in countries that make it illegal to be gay, according to officials who spoke with NBC News. The campaign will focus its efforts on countries in the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean.
“It is concerning that, in the 21st century, some 70 countries continue to have laws that criminalize LGBTI status or conduct,” a U.S. official said.
The campaign was at least partially launched because Iran recently hanged a man due to his homosexuality — an incident that Grenell, who is openly gay, slammed publicly in commentary for the German news outlet BILD.
“Politicians, the U.N., democratic governments, diplomats, and good people everywhere should speak up – and loudly,” Grenell wrote. “Barbaric public executions are all too common in a country where consensual homosexual relationships are criminalized and punishable by flogging and death.”
In November, Grenell called out the United Nations General Assembly for overwhelmingly voting to accuse Israel of human rights violations, suggesting the assembly should instead vote on whether or not being gay is a crime.
“It will out the human rights hypocrites,” he tweeted.
According to officials, the administration will likely be working with the United Nations, along with other international organizations, in its efforts to abolish the criminalization of homosexuality.
The Daily Caller reported Monday that Grenell is also one of three people being considered for UN ambassador after former State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert dropped out of the running.
Grenell did not return a request for comment for this article.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders launched his 2020 presidential bid on Tuesday by accusing the president of being “a homophobe,” while gay rights organizations have accused the Trump administration of actively engaging in hate against gay people.
COLUMN BY
Amber Athey
White House Correspondent. Follow Amber on Twitter.
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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column with images is republished with permission.
Homosexuality is an abomination of God! It is morally wrong!
Trump never used to support homosexuality, why the hell is he supporting it now! Homosexuality should be a criminal Offense all over the world and people should be punished for it! They should also be forced to go to real for it!
It’s not normal nor is it acceptable! Homosexuality is a mental illness! Just accept that fact.
All homos do is spread AIDS and other diseases! That is part of God’s punishment for making the choice to be gay!
It should always be a criminal Offense and we, normal people, don’t need to accept it!
John,
Thanks for reading and commenting.
As a Catholic I agree that sodomy is morally wrong and must be condemned by the Church as a sin of the flesh. Sodomy harms the individual, family and community. It is deadly and dangerous (HIV/AIDS).
However, as a Catholic I do not believe we should slaughter all sodomites in America. This effort is a direct attack on Islamic shariah law, which in my opinion, is a greater threat to the United States and the world.
This effort also puts the United Nations in the position of condemning Islam for its practices in general and Iran in particular.
It is a brilliant move on the part of President Trump.