Today, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement upon the conclusion of Pride Month 2023:

“During Pride Month, we celebrated LGBTQI+ communities and individuals, and their contributions across the globe. We also took time to reflect on – and reaffirm ­– our commitment to protecting their rights and dignity as we continue our shared fight for equality worldwide.

“Last year, we saw promising wins for LGBTQI+ rights, including in Poland where LGBTQI+ activists won a hard-fought battle in the courts to end the country’s discriminatory ‘LGBT-Free Zones,’ as well as in Taiwan where the government enshrined same-sex couples’ right to adopt a child. Other countries, like Barbados, Gabon, and Singapore, took the encouraging step of decriminalizing same sex-relations.

“Despite this progress, LGBTQI+ rights remain under attack in every region of the world. In Uganda, President Museveni enacted the appalling Anti-Homosexuality Act, which puts LGBTQI+ individuals at risk of being sentenced to life imprisonment for same sex acts. In Hungary, the government continues its crackdown on LGBTQI+ rights, including by blocking transgender people from changing their legal gender recognition. And in Russia, President Putin has expanded anti-LGBTQI+ legislation to ban individuals from freely expressing themselves.

“An assault on LGBTQI+ rights anywhere is an affront to all human rights everywhere. As Pride Month 2023 comes to an end, let us redouble our efforts in the fight to secure the rights of LGBTQI+ individuals both at home and abroad.”

Original source can be found here.