Jessica Stern | |
|---|---|
 Stern in 2021 | |
| 2nd United States Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons | |
| Assumed office September 27, 2021 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Randy W. Berry |
| Personal details | |
| Education | London School of Economics |
Jessica Stern is an American diplomat serving as the second U.S. special envoy for the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons since 2021. She was previously the executive director of Outright International for ten years.
Stern grew up in a Jewish family within a predominantly Christian community in Setauket,New York. She stated that her understanding of human rights developed through her exploration of her Jewish identity and that she learned to be an LGBT activist through her Jewishness. [1]
Stern completed a master's degree in human rights at the London School of Economics. [2]
Stern worked in Philadelphia as a welfare rights community organizer. [2] With the Center for Constitutional Rights,she campaigned for electoral reform following the 2000 United States presidential election. [2] Stern was a researcher and advocate at Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. [3] She was a founding member of the United Nations (UN) LGBTI core group and of its secretariat. [3] Stern successfully campaigned for the first UN General Assembly resolution to include gender identity and for successive Human Rights Council resolutions on sexual orientation and gender identity,leading to the establishment of the independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity. [3] Stern provided the first LGBTQI+ rights expert testimony in an Arria formula meeting. [3]
Stern joined the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (later renamed OutRight International) as its director of programs. [1] [2] After working in that role for two years,in late 2011,she became the acting executive director following departure of Cary Alan Johnson. [2] In 2012,she officially assumed the position,serving in the role for ten years. [2] [3] She helped the organization secure UN observer status,release human rights reports annually,built the world's largest COVID LGBTQI+ grant-making program,and quintupled the budget. [3] Stern highlighted the importance of IGLHRC's alliances with Jewish organizations,specifically mentioning the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) as a key partner. [1]
During Pride Month in 2021,Stern was appointed by U.S. president Joe Biden as the second U.S. special envoy for the human rights of LGBTI persons. [4] [5] She assumed the role on September 27,2021. [3] She leads U.S. efforts to protect LGBTQI+ persons globally from violence and discrimination. [3] [6] [7] As an adjunct associate professor,Stern taught the first LGBTQI+ rights course at the School of International and Public Affairs,Columbia University. [3]
As of 2012,Stern lived in Brooklyn with her partner,Lisa Davis,a clinical law professor at CUNY School of Law. [1]
As of 2021,Stern has lived in the United States,Mexico,the United Kingdom,and Uruguay. [3]
The International Lesbian,Gay,Bisexual,Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) is a LGBTQ+ rights organization.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBTQ) people in Ghana face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Sexual acts between males have been illegal as "unnatural carnal knowledge" in Ghana since the colonial era. The majority of Ghana's population hold anti-LGBTQ sentiments. Physical and violent homophobic attacks against LGBTQ people occur,and are often encouraged by the media and religious and political leaders. At times,government officials,such as police,engage in such acts of violence. Young gay people are known to be disowned by their families and communities and evicted from their homes. Families often seek conversion therapy from religious groups when same-sex orientation or non-conforming gender identity is disclosed;such "therapy" is reported to be commonly administered in abusive and inhumane settings.
OutRight International (OutRight) is an LGBTIQ human rights non-governmental organization that addresses human rights violations and abuses against lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender and intersex people. OutRight International documents human rights discrimination and abuses based on their sexual orientation,gender identity,gender expression and sex characteristics in partnership with activists,advocates,media,NGOs and allies on a local,regional,national and international level. OutRight International holds consultative status with ECOSOC.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) people in Armenia face legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents,due in part to the lack of laws prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity and in part to prevailing negative attitudes about LGBT persons throughout society.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) people in Azerbaijan face significant challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in Azerbaijan since 1 September 2000. Nonetheless,discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity are not banned in the country and same-sex marriage is not recognized.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,and queer (LGBTQ) people in Eswatini have limited legal rights. According to Rock of Hope,a Swati LGBTQ advocacy group,"there is no legislation recognising LGBTIs or protecting the right to a non-heterosexual orientation and gender identity and as a result [LGBTQ people] cannot be open about their orientation or gender identity for fear of rejection and discrimination." Homosexuality is illegal in Eswatini,though this law is in practice unenforced. According to the 2021 Human Rights Practices Report from the US Department of State,"there has never been an arrest or prosecution for consensual same-sex conduct."
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBTQ) rights in Nepal have expanded in the 21st century,though much of Nepal's advancements on LGBT rights have come from the judiciary and not the legislature. Same-sex sexual acts have been legal in Nepal since 2007 after a ruling by the Supreme Court of Nepal.
Discussions of LGBTQI+ rights at the United Nations have included resolutions and joint statements in the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC),attention to the expert-led human rights mechanisms,as well as by the UN Agencies.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in Laos go unreported and unnoticed. While homosexuality is legal in Laos,it is very difficult to assess the current state of acceptance and violence that LGBTQ people face because of government interference. Numerous claims have suggested that Laos is one of the most tolerant communist states. Despite such claims,discrimination still exists. Laos provides no anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people,nor does it prohibit hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for any of the rights that opposite-sex married couples enjoy,as neither same-sex marriage nor civil unions are legal.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) people in East Timor face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal in East Timor,but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex married couples.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,and queer (LGBTQ) people in Lesotho face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Lesotho does not recognise same-sex marriages or civil unions,nor does it ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Yogyakarta Principles is a document about human rights in the areas of sexual orientation and gender identity that was published as the outcome of an international meeting of human rights groups in Yogyakarta,Indonesia,in November 2006. The principles were supplemented and expanded in 2017 to include new grounds of gender expression and sex characteristics and a number of new principles. However,the Principles have never been accepted by the United Nations (UN) and the attempt to make gender identity and sexual orientation new categories of non-discrimination has been repeatedly rejected by the General Assembly,the UN Human Rights Council and other UN bodies.
The Center for Family and Human Rights (C-Fam) is a right-wing United States–based advocacy group,founded in 1997,in order to affect policy debate at the United Nations and other international institutions. It was formerly known as the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute. The 501(c)(3) organization is anti-abortion and anti-LGBT.
Todd Larson is an American recognized for his contributions towards securing rights and benefits for LGBT employees of the United Nations. He served as Presidential Appointee and the Senior Lesbian,Gay,Bisexual,and Transgender (LGBT) Coordinator at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),with a mandate to give substance and sustainability to an historic Presidential Memorandum,which established LGBTQI+ human rights and development as a new US foreign policy priority.
The right to sexuality incorporates the right to express one's sexuality and to be free from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. Although it is equally applicable to heterosexuality,it also encompasses human rights of people of diverse sexual orientations,including lesbian,gay,asexual and bisexual people,and the protection of those rights. The inalienable nature of rights belonging to every person by virtue of being human.
The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBTQ topics:
Randy William Berry is an American diplomat and the United States ambassador to Namibia since February 9,2023. He has previously served as the United States ambassador to Nepal and the first U.S. special envoy for the human rights of LGBTI persons.
Intersex people are born with sex characteristics that "do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies". They are substantially more likely to identify as lesbian,gay,bisexual,or transgender (LGBT) than endosex people. According to a study done in Australia of Australian citizens with intersex conditions,participants labeled 'heterosexual' as the most popular single label with the rest being scattered among various other labels. According to another study,an estimated 8.5% to 20% experiencing gender dysphoria. Although many intersex people are heterosexual and cisgender,and not all of them identify as LGBTQ+,this overlap and "shared experiences of harm arising from dominant societal sex and gender norms" has led to intersex people often being included under the LGBT umbrella,with the acronym sometimes expanded to LGBTI. Some intersex activists and organisations have criticised this inclusion as distracting from intersex-specific issues such as involuntary medical interventions.
Victor Madrigal-Borloz is a Costa Rican lawyer. Between 2018 and 2023,he served as the United Nations Independent Experton protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. During his tenure at the U.N.,Madrigal-Borloz has been noted for focusing his Human Rights Council mandate on investigating a broad and intersectional range of issues facing LGBT communities around the world,including conversion therapy,criminalization,socio-cultural exclusion,anti-trans rhetoric,and the outsized impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable LGBT and gender-diverse populations.
The Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons is a position at the United States Department of State within the Bureau of Democracy,Human Rights and Labor. The office oversees the United States government’s efforts to support the human rights of LGBTQI+ people around the world.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain . This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Federal government of the United States .