Text of US SB 3426 (2025)

II 119TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 3426 To establish in the Department of State a Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ People, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES DECEMBER 10, 2025 Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Ms. ALSOBROOKS, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BENNET, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BOOKER, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. COONS, Ms. COR- TEZ MASTO, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. FETTERMAN, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. HICKENLOOPER, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. KAINE, Mr. KELLY, Mr. LUJA´N, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. MURPHY, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. PETERS, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. SCHATZ, Mr. SCHIFF, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Ms. SMITH, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. WELCH, Mr. WYDEN, Ms. WARREN, and Mr. DURBIN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations A BILL To establish in the Department of State a Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ People, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘International Human 4 Rights Defense Act of 2025’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 2 •S 3426 IS SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 Congress makes the following findings: 2 (1) Around the world, LGBTQI+ people face 3 criminalization, violence, discrimination, and stigma 4 based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or 5 sex characteristics. 6 (2) Sixty-four countries have national laws that 7 criminalize same-sex relations and at least 42 8 United Nations member states have legal barriers 9 for freedom of expression on issues related to sexual 10 and gender diversity. That is equal to roughly 35 11 percent of United Nations member states. 12 (3) Eleven countries have jurisdictions in which 13 the death penalty can be imposed for private, con- 14 sensual, same-sex sexual activity. 15 (4) Despite recent progress made toward de- 16 criminalization, marriage equality, and legal gender 17 recognition, several countries have introduced anti- 18 LGBTQI+ legislation that would further criminalize 19 or stigmatize LGBTQI+ people. This includes a 20 draconian bill under review in Ghana that would 21 outlaw LGBTQI+ relationships and identities, but 22 also advocacy on behalf of the human rights of 23 LGBTQI+ persons. 24 (5) Human Rights Watch and other human 25 rights organizations have documented the use of the 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 3 •S 3426 IS forensically discredited practice of forced anal exams 1 to try to substantiate allegations of same-sex sexual 2 activity. This humiliating practice is typically con- 3 ducted by law enforcement officials working in tan- 4 dem with medical personnel. The United Nations 5 Special Rapporteur on Torture has described forced 6 anal examinations as a form of torture or cruel, in- 7 human and degrading treatment, and the United 8 Nations Office of the High Commissioner for 9 Human Rights issued a report in 2015 calling for 10 governments to ban the practice. 11 (6) Around the world, freedom of association is 12 increasingly under attack, with the passage and en- 13 forcement of laws that prevent or revoke the reg- 14 istration of nongovernmental organizations, particu- 15 larly those working to advance and defend the 16 human rights of LGBTQI+ persons. 17 (7) Extreme violence and insecurity in Latin 18 America has driven LGBTQI+ people to flee their 19 countries of origin to the United States for protec- 20 tion. Yes, LGBTQI+ asylum seekers are routinely 21 denied entry and face additional violence, and many 22 have been returned to face persecution in their home 23 countries or in third countries that are not safe. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 4 •S 3426 IS (8) Laws, policies, and practices that crim- 1 inalize and stigmatize LGBTQI+ people deter indi- 2 viduals and communities from seeking health care. 3 Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men 4 and transgender people are particularly vulnerable to 5 discrimination and exclusion in health care settings, 6 thereby increasing the risk of HIV transmission. De- 7 criminalization and stigma reduction are necessary 8 to achieve global targets for epidemic control of 9 HIV. 10 (9) The Trans Murder Monitoring Project, 11 which monitors homicides of transgender individuals, 12 documented at least 350 trans and gender-diverse 13 people killed between October 1, 2023, and Sep- 14 tember 30, 2024. Of these cases, 73 percent of mur- 15 ders occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean, 16 with 30 percent of the total occurring in Brazil. 17 (10) Intersex people are subject to medically 18 unnecessary surgeries, often without prior and in- 19 formed consent, leading to lifelong medical complica- 20 tions and increased mistrust of health care pro- 21 viders. Intersex people experience widespread dis- 22 crimination and lack of understanding about their 23 medical needs. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 5 •S 3426 IS (11) Violence and discrimination based on sex- 1 ual orientation, gender identity (including gender ex- 2 pression), and sex characteristics are documented in 3 the Department of State’s annual Country Reports 4 on Human Rights Practices. The report covering 5 2023 continues to show a clear pattern of human 6 rights violations or abuses in every region of the 7 world based on sexual orientation, gender identity, 8 or sex characteristics. These violations or abuses in- 9 clude murder, rape, torture, death threats, extortion, 10 and imprisonment, as well as loss of employment, 11 housing, access to health care, and other forms of 12 societal stigma and discrimination. The reports fur- 13 ther document LGBTQI+-specific restrictions on 14 basic freedoms of assembly, press, and speech in 15 every region of the world. 16 (12) On December 6, 2011, President Barack 17 Obama released the ‘‘Presidential Memorandum— 18 International Initiatives to Advance the Human 19 Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender 20 Persons’’. The memorandum directed all Federal 21 agencies engaged abroad to ensure that United 22 States diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and 23 protect the human rights of LGBTI+ persons. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 6 •S 3426 IS (13) On February 4, 2021, President Joe Biden 1 issued a similar memorandum, the ‘‘Memorandum 2 on Advancing the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, 3 Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Persons 4 Around the World’’, to promote and protect the 5 human rights of LGBTQI+ persons and establish 6 that it is the ‘‘policy of the United States to pursue 7 an end to violence and discrimination on the basis 8 of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, 9 or sex characteristics, and to lead by the power of 10 our example in the cause of advancing the human 11 rights of LGBTQI+ persons around the world’’. 12 (14) On February 23, 2015, Secretary of State 13 John Kerry appointed senior diplomat Randy Berry 14 as the Department of State’s first-ever Special 15 Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons. 16 No person was named to that position during the 17 Trump Administration. 18 (15) On June 25, 2021, President Joe Biden 19 announced the appointment of Jessica Stern to serve 20 as the United States Special Envoy to Advance the 21 Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons. She joined 22 the Department of State on September 27, 2021. 23 (16) On June 30, 2016, the United Nations 24 Human Rights Council passed a resolution cospon- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 7 •S 3426 IS sored by the United States that established an Inde- 1 pendent Expert on violence and discrimination based 2 on sexual orientation and gender identity to help 3 monitor and track discrimination and violence expe- 4 rienced by LGBTQI+ persons around the world. 5 (17) In May 2020, the United Nations Inde- 6 pendent Expert on protection against violence and 7 discrimination based on sexual orientation and gen- 8 der identity released a report on so-called ‘‘conver- 9 sion therapy’’, which is an umbrella term used to de- 10 scribe interventions based on a belief that a person’s 11 sexual orientation or gender identity can and should 12 be changed. The report concluded that such prac- 13 tices represent significant violations of rights to per- 14 sonal autonomy, health, and free expression and are 15 ‘‘by their very nature degrading, inhuman and cruel 16 and create a significant risk of torture’’. The Inde- 17 pendent Expert noted ‘‘the psychological pain and 18 suffering inflicted by practices of ‘conversion ther- 19 apy’ are deep and long-lasting and often exacerbate 20 the risk of suicide,’’ and called for a global ban on 21 conversion therapy. 22 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 23 It is the policy of the United States— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 8 •S 3426 IS (1) to take effective action to prevent and re- 1 spond to discrimination and violence against all peo- 2 ple on any basis internationally, including sexual ori- 3 entation, gender identity, and sex characteristics, 4 and that human rights policy includes attention to 5 criminalization, violence, and other discrimination 6 against LGBTQI+ people; 7 (2) to systematically integrate and coordinate 8 into United States foreign policy efforts to prevent 9 and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and 10 violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally; 11 (3) to support and build local capacity in coun- 12 tries around the world, including of governments at 13 all levels and nongovernmental organizations, to pre- 14 vent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, 15 and violence against LGBTQI+ people internation- 16 ally; 17 (4) to consult, cooperate, coordinate, and col- 18 laborate with a wide variety of nongovernmental 19 partners, including faith-based organizations and 20 LGBTQI+-led organizations, with demonstrated ex- 21 perience in preventing and responding to criminal- 22 ization, discrimination, and violence against 23 LGBTQI+ people internationally; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 9 •S 3426 IS (5) to employ a multisectoral approach to pre- 1 venting and responding to criminalization, discrimi- 2 nation, and violence against LGBTQI+ people inter- 3 nationally, including activities in the economic, edu- 4 cation, health, nutrition, legal, and judicial sectors; 5 (6) to work at all levels, from the individual to 6 the family, community, local, national, and inter- 7 national levels, to prevent and respond to criminal- 8 ization, discrimination, and violence against 9 LGBTQI+ people internationally; 10 (7) to enhance training by United States per- 11 sonnel of professional foreign military and police 12 forces and judicial officials to include appropriate 13 and thorough LGBTQI+-specific instruction on pre- 14 venting and responding to criminalization, discrimi- 15 nation, and violence based on sexual orientation, 16 gender identity, and sex characteristics; 17 (8) to engage non-LGBTQI+ people as allies 18 and partners, as an essential element of making sus- 19 tained reductions in criminalization, discrimination, 20 and violence against LGBTQI+ people internation- 21 ally; 22 (9) to require that all recipients of Federal 23 funding, including all contractors, grants, and coop- 24 erative agreements for both acquisition and assist- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 10 •S 3426 IS ance, establish appropriate nondiscrimination poli- 1 cies that are inclusive of sexual orientation, gender 2 identity, and sex characteristics, among other char- 3 acteristics and protected statuses, and take effective 4 measures to ensure the protection and safety of em- 5 ployed and contracted staff, as well as the protection 6 of the program beneficiaries; 7 (10) to exert sustained international leadership, 8 including in bilateral and multilateral fora, to pre- 9 vent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, 10 and violence against LGBTQI+ people internation- 11 ally; 12 (11) to ensure that international efforts to com- 13 bat HIV/AIDS take all appropriate measures to sup- 14 port at-risk communities, including LGBTQI+ peo- 15 ple, and to create enabling legal environments for 16 these communities; 17 (12) to work with governments and nongovern- 18 mental organizations around the world to develop 19 and implement regional strategies to decriminalize 20 homosexuality and to counteract other restrictions 21 on the human rights of LGBTQI+ people, including 22 restrictions on LGBTQI+ organizations and so- 23 called LGBTQI+ propaganda laws; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 11 •S 3426 IS (13) to ensure that individuals who have a well- 1 founded fear of persecution on account of being 2 LGBTQI+ or supporting LGBTQI+ rights have 3 the opportunity to seek protection in the United 4 States. 5 SEC. 4. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF 6 LGBTQI+ PEOPLE. 7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of State shall 8 establish in the Department of State a permanent Special 9 Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ People (re- 10 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Special Envoy’’), who shall 11 be appointed by the President at the rank of Ambassador, 12 by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. 13 (b) PURPOSE.—In addition to the duties described in 14 subsection (c) and those duties determined by the Presi- 15 dent and the Secretary of State, the Special Envoy shall 16 direct efforts of the United States Government relating 17 to United States foreign policy, as directed by the Presi- 18 dent and the Secretary, regarding human rights abuses 19 against LGBTQI+ people and communities internation- 20 ally and the advancement of human rights for LGBTQI+ 21 people, and shall represent the United States internation- 22 ally in bilateral and multilateral engagement on such mat- 23 ters. 24 (c) DUTIES.—The Special Envoy shall— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 12 •S 3426 IS (1) serve as the principal advisor to the Sec- 1 retary of State regarding the human rights of 2 LGBTQI+ people internationally; and 3 (2) at the direction of the Secretary of State— 4 (A) notwithstanding any other provision of 5 law— 6 (i) direct activities, policies, programs, 7 and funding relating to the human rights 8 of LGBTQI+ people and the advancement 9 of LGBTQI+ human rights and social in- 10 clusion initiatives internationally, for all 11 bureaus and offices of the Department of 12 State; and 13 (ii) lead the coordination of relevant 14 United States Government policies and 15 international programs for all other Fed- 16 eral agencies relating to such matters; 17 (B) represent the United States in diplo- 18 matic matters, including in bilateral and multi- 19 lateral forums, relevant to the human rights 20 and social inclusion of LGBTQI+ people, in- 21 cluding addressing criminalization, discrimina- 22 tion, and violence against LGBTQI+ people 23 internationally; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 13 •S 3426 IS (C) direct, as appropriate, United States 1 Government resources to respond to needs for 2 protection, integration, resettlement, and em- 3 powerment of LGBTQI+ people in United 4 States Government policies and international 5 programs, including to prevent and respond to 6 criminalization, discrimination, and violence 7 against LGBTQI+ people internationally; 8 (D) lead interagency coordination on the 9 foreign policy, humanitarian, and development 10 priorities related to the human rights of 11 LGBTQI+ people internationally; and 12 (E) conduct regular consultations with 13 nongovernmental organizations working to pre- 14 vent and respond to criminalization, discrimina- 15 tion, and violence against LGBTQI+ people 16 internationally. 17 (d) BRIEFINGS AND ASSESSMENTS.—Not later than 18 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 19 annually thereafter, the Special Envoy shall provide a 20 briefing to the appropriate congressional committees on 21 the status of— 22 (1) the human rights and social inclusion of 23 LGBTQI+ people internationally; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 14 •S 3426 IS (2) programs and response strategies of the 1 United States Government to address criminaliza- 2 tion, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ 3 people internationally. 4 (e) UNITED STATES POLICY TO PREVENT AND RE- 5 SPOND TO CRIMINALIZATION, DISCRIMINATION, AND VIO- 6 LENCE AGAINST LGBTQI+ PEOPLE GLOBALLY.— 7 (1) GLOBAL STRATEGY REQUIREMENT.—Not 8 later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 9 of this Act, and biannually thereafter, the Special 10 Envoy shall— 11 (A) develop or update a United States 12 global strategy to prevent and respond to crim- 13 inalization, discrimination, and violence against 14 LGBTQI+ people internationally; and 15 (B) submit the global strategy to the ap- 16 propriate congressional committees and, if prac- 17 ticable, make the global strategy available to 18 the public. 19 (2) COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION.—In 20 developing the global strategy required under para- 21 graph (1), the Special Envoy shall consult with— 22 (A) mid- and high-level officials of relevant 23 Federal agencies; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 15 •S 3426 IS (B) representatives of nongovernmental or- 1 ganizations with demonstrated experience in ad- 2 dressing criminalization, discrimination, and vi- 3 olence against LGBTQI+ people internationally 4 or promoting equal rights and social inclusion 5 for LGBTQI+ people internationally. 6 (f) MONITORING THE UNITED STATES STRATEGY TO 7 PREVENT AND RESPOND TO CRIMINALIZATION, DISCRIMI- 8 NATION, AND VIOLENCE AGAINST LGBTQI+ PEOPLE 9 AND COMMUNITIES INTERNATIONALLY.—In each global 10 strategy submitted pursuant to subsection (e)(2), the Spe- 11 cial Envoy shall include an analysis of promising practices 12 for preventing and addressing criminalization, discrimina- 13 tion, and violence against LGBTQI+ people and commu- 14 nities internationally, including— 15 (1) a description of successful efforts by foreign 16 governments and nongovernmental organizations to 17 prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimina- 18 tion, and violence against LGBTQI+ people and 19 communities internationally; 20 (2) recommendations related to promising prac- 21 tices, effective strategies, and improvements to en- 22 hance the impact of such prevention and response 23 efforts; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 16 •S 3426 IS (3) the impact of activities funded by the global 1 strategy in preventing and reducing criminalization, 2 discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ peo- 3 ple and communities internationally. 4 SEC. 5. DOCUMENTING AND RESPONDING TO BIAS-MOTI- 5 VATED VIOLENCE AGAINST LGBTQI+ PEOPLE 6 ABROAD. 7 (a) INFORMATION REQUIRED TO BE INCLUDED IN 8 ANNUAL COUNTRY REPORTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS PRAC- 9 TICES.— 10 (1) SECTION 116.—Section 116(d) of the For- 11 eign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151n(d)) 12 is amended— 13 (A) in paragraph (11)(C), by striking ‘‘; 14 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 15 (B) in paragraph (12)(C)(ii), by striking 16 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 17 and 18 (C) by adding at the end the following: 19 ‘‘(13) wherever applicable, the nature and ex- 20 tent of criminalization, discrimination, and violence 21 by state and non-state actors based on sexual ori- 22 entation or gender identity (as such terms are de- 23 fined in section 7 of the International Human 24 Rights Defense Act of 2025) or sex characteristics, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 17 •S 3426 IS including an identification of those countries that 1 have adopted laws or constitutional provisions that 2 criminalize or discriminate based on such sexual ori- 3 entation, gender identity, or sex characteristics, in- 4 cluding descriptions of such laws and provisions.’’. 5 (2) SECTION 502B.—Section 502B of the For- 6 eign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2304) is 7 amended— 8 (A) by redesignating the second subsection 9 (i) (relating to child marriage status) as sub- 10 section (j); and 11 (B) by adding at the end the following: 12 ‘‘(k) SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, 13 AND SEX CHARACTERISTICS.—The report required under 14 subsection (b) shall include, wherever applicable, the na- 15 ture and extent of criminalization, discrimination, and vio- 16 lence by state and non-state actors based on sexual ori- 17 entation or gender identity, as those terms are defined in 18 section 7 of the International Human Rights Defense Act 19 of 2025, or sex characteristics, including an identification 20 of those countries that have adopted laws or constitutional 21 provisions that criminalize or discriminate based on such 22 sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics, 23 including descriptions of such laws and provisions.’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 18 •S 3426 IS SEC. 6. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UNITED STATES STRAT- 1 EGY TO PREVENT AND RESPOND TO CRIM- 2 INALIZATION, DISCRIMINATION, AND VIO- 3 LENCE AGAINST LGBTQI+ PEOPLE AND COM- 4 MUNITIES INTERNATIONALLY. 5 The Secretary of State is authorized to provide assist- 6 ance to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimi- 7 nation, and violence against LGBTQI+ people inter- 8 nationally by— 9 (1) developing and implementing assistance pro- 10 grams that respond to human rights abuses against, 11 and the social and economic exclusion of, LGBTQI+ 12 people; 13 (2) supporting and capacity building for the de- 14 velopment and enforcement of the laws of foreign 15 governments pertaining to relevant civil and criminal 16 legal and judicial sanctions, protection, and training; 17 (3) enhancing health sector capacity— 18 (A) to detect, prevent, and respond to vio- 19 lence against LGBTQI+ people and commu- 20 nities internationally; and 21 (B) to combat HIV/AIDS in the 22 LGBTQI+ community internationally, in close 23 coordination with the Office of the Global AIDS 24 Coordinator and Health Diplomacy of the De- 25 partment of State; and 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 19 •S 3426 IS (4) developing a leadership program for inter- 1 national LGBTQI+ activists that will foster collabo- 2 ration and knowledge sharing around the world. 3 SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS. 4 In this Act: 5 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT- 6 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com- 7 mittees’’ means— 8 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 9 the Senate; 10 (B) the Committee on Appropriations of 11 the Senate; 12 (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 13 the House of Representatives; and 14 (D) the Committee on Appropriations of 15 the House of Representatives. 16 (2) GENDER IDENTITY.—The term ‘‘gender 17 identity’’ means the gender-related identity, appear- 18 ance, or mannerisms or other gender-related charac- 19 teristics of an individual, regardless of the individ- 20 ual’s designated sex at birth. 21 (3) INTERSEX.—The term ‘‘intersex’’ means in- 22 dividuals born with sex characteristics (including 23 genitals, gonads, or chromosome patterns) that vary 24 from typical binary notions of male or female bodies 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 20 •S 3426 IS and is an umbrella term used to describe a wide 1 range of natural bodily variations. 2 (4) LGBTQI+.—The term ‘‘LGBTQI+’’ 3 means lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or 4 intersex. 5 (5) SEXUAL ORIENTATION.—The term ‘‘sexual 6 orientation’’ means actual or perceived homosex- 7 uality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality. 8 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:35 Dec 31, 2025 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S3426.IS S3426 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS