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In every corner of the world, LGBTQ people are under attack. Oppressive regimes are enacting ever more draconian measures to terrorize us, criminalize us, and eradicate us. They want to silence our voices, erase our identities, and destroy our hope that one day we can live freely and authentically as our true selves.
Despite their brutal efforts, the undeniable truth remains: LGBTQ people exist in every nation on Earth. We always have and we always will. No amount of hate and persecution can change this fundamental reality. And even in the darkest of circumstances, we endure. We resist. And we search for any sign, any signal, that we are not alone in this struggle.
Officials of the U.S. across the world can often serve as those signs of hope. Ten years ago, under the direction of then-Ambassador James Costos, the U.S. Embassy in Spain flew a Pride flag alongside the U.S. flag for the very first time, signifying that the United States stands in solidarity with the international LGBTQ community. The public flag raising ceremony by the ambassador, with members of the embassy staff and local citizens, was part of an observance now known as IDAHOBIT—International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, celebrated each year on May 17—and it was symbolic of a commitment by the U.S. to stand up for LGBTQ communities across the world. But it was much more than an observance.
In countries where LGBTQ people have been driven underground, even the smallest signs of allyship and inclusion—a rainbow sticker, a pronoun pin, an embassy Pride flag—can provide a vital lifeline. To an LGBTQ person in distress, these symbols send the message: You are not alone, your life has value, we stand with you no matter what. That solidarity has never been more important than it is right now.
The United States is a beacon of hope, and at a time when anti-LGBTQ attacks are on the rise around the world, we cannot diminish our light. This year anti-equality forces in Congress forced through a measure prohibiting Pride flags from being flown on the exterior of U.S. embassies. This move was one of 52 anti-LGBTQ riders that House Republicans tried to attach to the appropriations bills—the other 51 were all defeated. Still, this action, while limited in scope, is a dangerous capitulation to the same ideologies fueling anti-LGBTQ repression abroad. It projects the wrong symbol at the wrong time. Our embassies must be outposts of freedom and sanctuaries of safety for LGBTQ people in every corner of the globe.
This backlash against LGBTQ people, both in the U.S. and abroad, is a response to our growing visibility. It is a recognition that equality and liberation, without exception, are the future, and that the time when forces of discrimination and repression held universal power is coming to an end.
The battle for LGBTQ equality in the U.S. cannot preclude us from also doing everything in our power to share a message of LGBTQ inclusivity all over the world. The stakes are too high to abandon the members of our community across the globe whose lives and very existence are under constant and immediate threat. For this year's LGBTQ pride season, our embassies must answer the call and stand strong with LGBTQ people everywhere, visibly, consistently, and emphatically.
James Costos was the U.S. ambassador to Spain from 2013-2017 and is currently a member of the board of directors of the Human Rights Campaign.
Kelley Robinson is the president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ advocacy organization.
The views expressed in this article are the writers' own.
