Why LGBT rights are under threat—and what to do about it

In recent years the progress in securing equal rights for gay, lesbian and transgender people in the West has seemed on an upward trajectory. Two-thirds of Americans support same-sex marriage, up from just over a third in 2001. Attitudes have also changed in much of Europe, where same-sex marriage is mostly legal, and in Australia, where same-sex unions were legalised last year.

Yet in much of the world, far more needs to be done. Even in America, activists worry that under Donald Trump’s administration hard-fought victories may be undermined. The Economist spoke with Fabrice Houdart, the Human Rights Officer at the United Nations, about the global challenges to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights.

The Economist: Are LGBT rights going backwards in the world today?

Fabrice Houdart: We are witnessing a proliferation of hate speech and human-rights abuses globally. This backsliding on human rights is not limited to that of LGBT people--but they experience it disproportionately. The steady advances that we have witnessed over the past few years in most parts of the globe have led to greater visibility of lesbian, gay and transgender people in places where they were previously relegated to the shadows.

Today, in almost every country you will find an LGBT grassroots movement. But increasingly LGBT people are used as pawns for political gain around issues of family and tradition. We have achieved some success in the struggle for LGBT equality in certain countries; but in other parts of the world progress will be harder.

The Economist: What is the greatest threat to lesbian, gay and transgender people worldwide?

Mr Houdart: We tend to focus on the headlines and the violence which are of course horrifying but there is a much wider problem: the despair that LGBT people in “hostile environments” experience. The widening gap between the lives of lesbian, gay and transgender people in more tolerant places and in the rest of the world is not sustainable.

Today, LGBT people everywhere know that they deserve the same opportunities and the same level of dignity as everyone else. When they are denied this, they can feel despair or try to migrate. Although we do not know how many people migrate because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, there is evidence that the numbers are growing. Obviously, not every LGBT person can move to a more tolerant country. Those who migrate tend to be educated, English-speaking, middle-class males; the poorest and most marginalised remain at home.

Today, LGBT people everywhere know that they deserve the same opportunities and the same level of dignity as everyone else.

The Economist: You have spoken out about how homophobia and transphobia hurt the poor the most. Can you expand upon this?

Mr Houdart: When I first went to India in 2012 at the request of the World Bank to assess the links between poverty, sexual orientation and gender identity, I was struck by how the gay elite seemed to be attached to the status quo. They were not keen to see a public debate on sexual orientation take place. The reality is that money or social status create opportunities for one to isolate oneself from homophobia and transphobia. There is growing evidence that the burden of homophobia is harsher and heavier on the poor.

In India, for example, the poor rely heavily on community safety nets and girls tend to have very little control over their life choices, so fully living one’s sexual orientation is not an option. In 2016 I met a gay man from the slums in Mumbai who explained to me that once he was outed, he had no choice but to remain in the family dwelling exposed daily to the homophobia and violence from family members and neighbours. Leaving, he told me, meant losing all community safety-nets--and could have led to him ultimately dying homeless and abandoned on the streets.

The Economist: What can be done to help LGBT people who are poor?

Mr Houdart: We need global social change and it is hard because we do not know the recipe. In America nobody can pinpoint what triggered the radical shift in public attitudes we observed. Was it the AIDS epidemic? “Will & Grace”? The marriage equality movement? People coming out in the workplace? It was probably a combination of all of these things.

So we need to design innovative and comprehensive strategies. This means: empowering and funding local LGBT groups; talking to faith-based leaders; pushing legal changes through the court system; encouraging a more positive representation of gay, lesbian and transgender people in the media; reminding companies of their responsibilities to LGBT employees; carrying out public campaigns to challenge stereotypes; and building coalitions with other human-rights causes.

There is growing evidence that the burden of homophobia is harsher and heavier on the poor

The Economist: Where is tolerance being eroded? How can individuals and businesses make the case for it more clearly?

Mr Houdart: Conversations remain key. Recently, in New York, I went to a training of new recruits on lesbian, gay and transgender issues at the NYPD Police Academy in Queens, which featured gay and trans officers telling their stories candidly and responding to all kind of questions from recruits. It was very powerful and engaging. That same evening, I went to a well-attended diversity and inclusion event at Microsoft’s New York offices in which staff members shared their views on what being an “ally” meant.

Businesses and individuals should keep these discussions going--even in hostile environments. That is why laws against so-called “gay propaganda” frustrate social change because they ban these conversations.