Statement By Drew Dalton Chair and CEO of ReportOUT
In August 2023, and under President Biden, USAID launched its historic LGBTQI+ Inclusive Development Policy. This evidence-based policy recognised that locally-led development, which includes LGBTQI+ populations, actually strengthens livelihoods, economies, and democracies. USAID is an agency which employed around 10,000 people, two-thirds of whom work overseas. It has bases in more than 60 countries and works in dozens of others. However, most of the work on the ground is carried out by other organisations that are contracted and funded by USAID. In 2023, it saw $40billion worth of investments in emergency assistance, disaster relief, and democracy-building initiatives across the globe.
Riding on the back of his promise to ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) President Trump’s inauguration as President of the USA has already (unsurprisingly) weaponised LGBTQ+ populations, even during its own election campaign. Recently, Trump signed an Executive Order on Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid, and it has sent shockwaves across the globe. This order has paused foreign aid for 90 days pending reviews to determine whether they are aligned with Trump’s own foreign policy goals. One of the central arguments to freeze USAID, has been its narrative of using taxpayer money to fund ‘controversial’ initiatives abroad, especially LGBTQ+ programmes. It is important to mention that this freeze is not only felt by LGBTQ+ populations, but also women, children, young people, refugees, people with disabilities, the elderly, and the vulnerable.
This order’s cascade effect has led to the dismissal of USAID workers, the closing of many life-saving projects, and many receiving NGOs making significant staff losses. Worryingly, the USAID headquarters has been closed down and up to 600 employees have been locked out of their internal systems. With a communications blackout ordered, it is reported that some USAID staff have been fired for informing USAID partners about what was going on. Concerningly, government website pages with a sniff of the terms ‘LGBTQ+’ or ‘gender,’ have been removed.
As a result of being unable to pay for staff and projects, clinics have closed their doors, vehicles subcontracted by USAID cannot move or even fill their fuel tanks, HIV prevention has been paused, and lives have been put at risk. LGBTQ+ and HIV organisations have seen substantial losses – with many of our own ReportOUT volunteers who have lost their jobs, their livelihoods, and are seeing life-saving HIV treatments such as PrEP, being withheld.
To soften the blow of the aid freeze, Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed to allow waivers for “life-saving humanitarian assistance”, which have been defined as “core lifesaving medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and subsistence assistance, as well as supplies and reasonable administrative costs as necessary to deliver such assistance.” It appears that LGBTQ+ populations do not count here, despite often being some of the most vulnerable and marginalised on the planet. They do not count as a life worth saving.
The timing of this has is also calamitous. With the closing of the Open Society’s LGBTQ+ funding programme and the scaling back of LGBTQ+ international development funding by donor states such as Denmark, the little money out there has decreased even further.
Aid is talked about by Trump, Musk and MAGA enthusiasts in a manner which makes it appear that foreign aid is merely a kind act of benevolent altruism from a nation state. It is not. Whilst overseas aid does help many vulnerable populations who need it the most, it is also a tool used by all governments to increase trade, advance agendas such as reinforcing democracy, make international allies, and apply strategic pressure on their own geopolitical adversaries.
Stronger LGBTQ+ rights have always been a soft power option for the USA on the world stage, and whilst I never wish for LGBTQ+ lives to be caught up in geopolitics (but they are), the USA and Europe have often stood as a counterbalance. This has been against Putin’s Russia, the Taliban, or any other authoritarian regime which seeks to harm LGBTQ+ populations. The irony of this aid pause is not lost in the MAGA judging criteria, as the rights of LGBTQ+ populations align perfectly with the MAGA version of a world order.
Their guiding principles are:
• Does it make America safer?
• Does it make America stronger?
• Does it make America more prosperous?
The answer for supporting global LGBTQ+ development and rights is a resounding, yes.
However, as painful as this may be, and as tempting as it is to withdraw and count our losses, there are some strategies we can adopt to move forward.
Even to the most resolute MAGA supporter, surely a strong and vibrant global LGBTQ+ movement is an existential threat to their foes such as Russia, China, Iran, or ISIS? Trump’s geopolitical adversaries have weaponised LGBTQ+ rights to supress, harm, and position their own ideological differences to the West. But if we position LGBTQ+ rights as something which makes for a better society, it stands in opposition to the USA’s own rivals. This surely works to make the USA safer, stronger and prosperous. We need to work harder to alter the narrative and show that a strong global LGBTQ+ rights movement make the USA (and world) safer.
Trump is a business person, therefore the economic argument for LGBTQ+ inclusion is a key way forward. Supported by the World Bank, it is well documented in research that nation states who foster LGBTQ+ inclusion have a higher GDP, and those who do not, could significantly raise theirs.
Furthermore, the UN Independent Expert needs to address this and work with civil society to form new strategies to bring LGBTQ+ development and aid back on the agenda. This needs to reposition the argument and show the good that LGBTQ+ development assistance makes across the globe and how it intersects with other lives such as young people and women. We also urge the UN Independent Expert to work with other UN departments organisations, to do this.
With the loss of Jessica Stern as the USA’s Special Envoy for LGBTQ+ Rights (another sad cut in this change of government), the UK is the only nation state left with an LGBTQ+ Rights Special Envoy. We urge the UK Government to work quickly to put their promised new person in place, as this role has still not been replaced since the election in July 2024.
Our friends at Outright International have compiled a response for LGBTQ+ organisations who have impacted, to complete. We urge you to fill this in so data can be gathered about the effects of this aid pause:
Finally, things may feel grim right now, and we are all a little raw. But we are resilient, and we can move mountains together. The time for solidarity is needed more than ever before.