US Congressman David Cicilline of Rhode Island joined fellow House Foreign Affairs Committee Members Joaquin Castro of Texas and Dina Titus of Nevada in leading a group of 61 Congresspersons calling to rescind a State Dept. policy that bans US embassies from “even discussing our country’s own constitutional rationale” for legalizing marriage equality.
Reports The Hill:
“The State Department describes its policy as ‘neither for or against’ advocating for marriage equality abroad, their reasoning being that the topic is an unsettled question in many countries and in international law.
“But in a letter to [US Sec. of State Antony] Blinken obtained by the Hill, House Democrats criticize State as operating under an ‘outdated policy’ that bars diplomats from ‘even discussing our country’s own constitutional rationale’ in legalizing same-sex marriage.
“The U.S. legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, the result of a Supreme Court decision that found barring same-sex couples from marrying violated their constitutional rights.
“’While we recognize that many countries are not at the point of legal partnership recognition, and that far too many countries continue to criminalize same-sex couples rather than recognizing their right to marry, the legal landscape is quickly evolving,’” the lawmakers wrote.
“’There are now 29 countries, including in Asia and in Central America, that affirm marriage for same-sex couples. Where marriage is a significant public issue abroad, we trust you would want your Administration to be standing on the right side of history.’ …
“The Biden administration has put a priority on advocating and advancing rights for LGBTQI+ individuals, with the president publishing in February a memorandum on advancing such rights globally. The memorandum also directed U.S. agencies to conduct a review and rescind any policies found to be ‘inconsistent’ with the administration’s directive to advance and promote LGBTQI+ rights.”
Read the complete report by The Hill here.
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