GLOBE Act of 2025

The Greater Leadership Overseas for the Benefit of Equality Act of 2025 (GLOBE Act of 2025) is a foreign policy and foreign assistance bill designed to advance human rights for LGBTQI people worldwide. It adds a comprehensive framework to document, respond to, and deter violence and discrimination against LGBTQI persons, and it creates new executive roles, funding mechanisms, and diplomatic tools to promote LGBTQI equality abroad. Key elements include a new Special Envoy for LGBTQI Rights within the State Department, a permanent Senior LGBTQI Coordinator at USAID, an interagency group to coordinate responses to urgent LGBTQI threats, and dedicated funds (Global Equality Fund and a formal LGBTQI development partnership) to support civil society, leadership, research, and inclusive development. The bill also authorizes targeted sanctions against violators of LGBTQI rights, and it seeks to advance decriminalization and more protective laws internationally through strategic reviews, diplomacy, and development programs. The bill places LGBTQI protections at the center of U.S. diplomacy and development, linking these efforts with existing human rights policy and tying them to broader U.S. interests in health, development, and global stability. If enacted, it would likely expand U.S. diplomacy and funding devoted to LGBTQI rights, increase reporting on LGBTQI abuses in foreign countries, and empower specific officials and interagency mechanisms to prioritize LGBTQI inclusion and protection in foreign policy and aid programs.