Lawmakers call on State Department to expand privileges for LGBT+ diplomats and spouses

Homosexuality remains illegal in almost 70 countries

The US embassy in Denmark taking part in Copenhagen Pride in 2017 (Getty Images)

US lawmakers have called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the State Department to address concerns that LGBT+ diplomats must “choose between their partner or a posting” in countries where same-sex marriages and homosexuality are banned.

Currently, US diplomats who are posted abroad are allowed to bring their spouse or partner and children along with them, although LGBT+ diplomats allegedly face difficulties with bringing their relatives.

In a letter addressed to Mr Blinken on Monday, the 12 members of Congress said the US State Department should fully recognise spouses of LGBT+ diplomats in all countries where American diplomats operate by granting them full “diplomatic privileges and immunities”.

Almost 70 countries around the world “continue to deny visas to same-sex spouses, effectively making diplomatic assignments in those countries unworkable for many foreign service families,” said Rhode Island congressman David Cicilline on Tuesday.

That is in spite of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which says diplomats and their families receive full diplomatic privileges and immunities in the countries where they are assigned,

“As we continue to work to ensure that all LGBTQ+ people can live without fear of discrimination or violence worldwide, we need to guarantee that all US diplomatic families are afforded equal rights – no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity,” the Democrat said.

“An American diplomat’s sexual orientation should not be a factor in determining their posts – and therefore limit their career choices and advancement,” Mr Cicilline added. “Our diplomats shouldn’t have to choose between being with their partner and their posting”.

Joaquin Castro, another Democrat signatory to the letter, said the State Department must “uphold” US values on LGBT+ rights when abroad, especially in light of recent attacks on LGBT+ individuals at home and elsewhere.

“Despite decades of domestic progress on civil rights for same-sex couples, America’s LGBTQI+ diplomats are still excluded from serving openly with their families in dozens of countries around the world,” Mr Castro said.

“These discriminatory policies are robbing our foreign service of talented diplomats and undermining American leadership on LGBTQI+ equality,” he added. “The State Department must uphold our nation’s commitment to equal rights and insist that all diplomatic families receive the full protections they deserve”.

The calls from lawmakers for greater accommodation of LGBT+ diplomats comes four years after former US president Donald Trump said it would deny US visas for spouses of LGBT+ foreign diplomats stationed in the country.

The move, which caused outrage, has more recently been followed by Republican bills targeting LGBT+ individuals in the US – including trans youth.

The Independent has approached the State Department for comment.