USAID is working to expand its LGBTQ+ approach by incorporating LGBTQ+ issues into other parts of the organization’s development agenda. In doing so, it hopes to better address the challenges it is facing in areas of the world where homosexuality is criminalized.
Recent reports showed that Russia is funding anti-LGBTQ+ activity on the African continent. In April, Uganda’s Constitutional Court held up the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act, which limits freedom of speech and increases penalties for certain types of homosexual acts.
USAID’s senior LGBTQI+ coordinator, Jay Gilliam, said that the group is trying to reduce risk for those working and living in areas that show more hostility to LGBTQ+ rights, during a Devex event on the sidelines of UNGA 79 on Sept. 26. He said that focusing on LGBTQ+ communities in other aspects of development, such as agriculture and economic opportunities, will help to address these challenges.
About the author
Jesse Chase-Lubitz
Jesse Chase-Lubitz covers climate change and multilateral development banks for Devex. She previously worked at Nature Magazine, where she received a Pulitzer grant for an investigation into land reclamation. She has written for outlets such as Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, and The Japan Times, among others. Jesse holds a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics.
