# The Global Respect Act: What It Does

This bill creates a system to punish foreign government officials and individuals who abuse LGBTQI people. The U.S. government would maintain a public list of people from other countries who are responsible for or involved in serious human rights violations against LGBTQI individuals—things like torture, wrongful imprisonment, forced disappearances, or denying people their basic freedoms. Anyone on this list, along with their immediate family members, would be banned from entering the United States and would have any existing visas canceled immediately.

The bill recognizes a real problem: in roughly one-third of the world's countries, same-sex relationships are still criminalized, and LGBTQI people face violence, arrest, and sometimes murder with little consequence. Government officials in many places actively participate in or ignore these abuses. The bill aims to hold these individuals accountable by making it impossible for them to travel to America or access the U.S. financial system. The State Department would update this list every six months and consider information from Congress members, human rights organizations, and other countries when deciding who should be included.

The bill also requires the State Department to better track and report on violence and discrimination against LGBTQI people worldwide in their annual human rights reports. This means future reports to Congress will specifically document how countries are treating LGBTQI individuals. The President can waive these restrictions in rare cases if it's necessary for national security or to comply with international obligations, but would have to notify Congress first.

Essentially, this bill uses America's immigration system as a tool to pressure foreign governments to stop abusing LGBTQI people by making it clear that those responsible won't be welcome here.

Global Respect Act

Cicilline, David N.

Global Respect Act This bill imposes visa-blocking sanctions on foreign persons responsible for or complicit in violating the human rights of individuals due to actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics. The President shall report and periodically update a list of foreign persons responsible for such human rights violations and apply sanctions accordingly. The Department of State shall designate at least one senior officer who shall be responsible for tracking violence and discrimination against individuals based on actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics in foreign countries.