The Global Respect Act and LGBTQI Human Rights

This report examines the scope and potential impact of the Global Respect Act and provides examples of documented human rights violations against LGBTQI persons in various countries and regions that could be sanctionable under the act. On June 13, 2023, a bipartisan coalition in the U.S. Congress reintroduced the Global Respect Act (GRA). The GRA would empower the State Department to levy visa-blocking sanctions against foreign individuals who are credibly determined to have violated the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) persons. This brief provides an overview of the GRA and its enforcement mechanisms. It also highlights instances, by region, of human rights violations against LGBTQI individuals to illustrate cases where this legislation could be impactful.