Making a difference in the lives of LGBT+ people
Should we be optimistic that LGBT+ rights are steadily being advanced across the world, or worry that they are in retreat? The truth depends on where we look.
Some countries have made great progress over recent decades to secure rights and freedoms, while others have stood still or, more worryingly, have actually gone backwards. There are too many parts of the world where people are still not accepted for who they are or who they love, where they face serious discrimination, and at worst, where they are harassed, attacked, or even killed.
So the work of securing equality is far from done, and the cause of promoting LGBT+ rights today remains essential. Even in those countries which have made the most progress towards equality there is obvious work to do, the UK included. So, the case for equality needs to be made in every country.
It is the spirit of working together and supporting those who need our help that I want to capture in the Safe To Be Me Conference, to be hosted in London this summer. I am proud, as the UK Prime Minister’s special envoy on LGBT+ rights, to be chairing this event which I believe has real potential to make a difference to the lives of LGBT+ people around the world.
The conference, to be held in London from June 29 to July 1, will be the UK Government’s first global conference dedicated to LGBT+ rights. It will be a major event, bringing together governments, businesses, parliamentarians, faith leaders and civil society.
“Safe To Be Me is an opportunity to agree concrete steps to protect LGBT+ people and support human rights defenders”
Its aim will be to create an inclusive space for genuine debate, and an opportunity to agree concrete steps to protect LGBT+ people and support human rights defenders.
Safe To Be Me will focus on four key areas. First, we want to tackle violence and discrimination. It is fundamental that no-one should live in fear because of who they are.
Second, we want to advance legal protections by accelerating progress on legislative reform and creating the conditions for greater equality globally. Seventy-one jurisdictions around the world criminalise consensual same-sex acts, of which 35 are in the Commonwealth. Eleven countries punish this with the death penalty. Many more repress LGBT+ people from living their lives openly even without such laws.
Third, we want to ensure inclusive access to public services, including in relation to health programmes where discriminatory policies are damaging the delivery of essential healthcare such as HIV/AIDS medicines.
Fourth, we want to make the economic and business case for inclusion. We will identify best practice, strengthen advocacy and support businesses to take up the mantle of change. This includes ensuring that international standards on LGBT+ inclusive practices are upheld.
There is good evidence that countries that are more inclusive are wealthier, just as we know that businesses that take diversity in their workforces seriously are more successful.
The UK recently took a strong stance in offering safety to LGBT+ people being evacuated from Afghanistan. These are the values of leadership, co-operation and practical support that I want to bring to our global equality conference.
Safe To Be Me is not an end goal, but it is an important moment to press for change in LGBT+ rights in many parts of the world. That is why I hope governments, civil society organisations, business leaders and parliamentarians from across the globe will attend. When others are trying to divide us, we should stand together, because the fight for equality must continue.
Lord Herbert is the UK’s special envoy on LGBT+ rights. This article appeared in Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.